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THE JUNIOR AND 
THE CHURCH 


\ OF PRIN, 
een nate) 
JAN 21 1929 






i: 

“OLOGICAL SENS S 
BY 

REGINA MAY CAMERON 


THE STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPANY 
CINCINNATI, O, 


Copyright, 1926 
The Standard Publishing Company 


DEDICATION 


To my son 
William Bruce Cameron 
the right guidance of whose growth in 
Christian character has been the 
7 strongest incentive to my 
work in religious 
education, 


VII. 


VIII. 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

ORD WORD aire mente aise ists n seeelany setae eae Sab ts > 
UNINMEANPERECIATION Gaya.) nonslsiida SEN pDOW NG 11 
BRU UNION  LIIMSELE oti iae ures uninia are 13 
© abe | UNIOR AND, THE TOME.) oo sesso ee ol 18 
.(LHE JUNIOR AND THE SCHOOL. -.....0. 5./4% 23 


. THE JUNIOR AND THE CHURCH OF THE Past. 30 


. [THE JUNIOR AND THE CHURCH OF THE PRES- 


| NRA og bs Daal BS Py atid MN PTA eae eam eT ae AUREL OLO 41 


PLIRARE Re tii <(taio ss Reais hid Papcccine ie 58 
PROGRAMS—JUNIORS WITH ADULTS IN CHURCH 

SAAC Wa AAA ASIA a AE A a Ml 79 
ADDENDA—SUGGESTED STORIES, THE JUNIOR’S 

EE ON SR yrr ss Wine tate a dlrso CG Waa aleta sre 91 
Fu eCOUESTIONNAIRE *..). 0.55. chetia Mare chee aie a 


BIBLIOGRAPHY SPL AR AEN 2 Pe Aer on se sale Oe RTE ae #8) 





FOREWORD 


HE purpose of this little book is to emphasize 

afresh the importance of bringing children into 
close personal touch with the spiritual forces of the 
church during the strategic, habit-fixing years. 

While growing out of my own experience as a 
teacher and as an observer of children, the manu- 
script originally was prepared as a thesis and pre- 
sented to the Faculty of the College of the Bible, 
Phillips University, as a requirement for the degree 
of Master of Arts in the Department of Religious 
Education. 

For the sake of background and perspective, it 
has seemed necessary to study the Junior himself, 
his relation to the home, to the school and to the 
church of the past. Some outstanding methods being 
used to-day by various religious bodies to secure 
church attendance will be discussed, and, finally, the 
writer’s own conviction in the matter, together with 
a program which is being used by the University 
Place Christian Church, Enid, Okla. The present 
unsettled attitude toward the Junior is too evident to 
permit of any dogmatic statement; but a program 
of this kind, it is believed, will be more nearly suited 


to general use than the specialized types. 
9 


10 Foreword 


ae = 





While this thesis was presented to the Faculty of 
the College of the Bible, Phillips University, as a 
requirement for the degree Master of Arts, that has 
not been the only occasion for its existence, nor has 
it been of sudden or of sporadic growth. On the 
contrary, its origin is traceable to personal interest of 
long standing, hence it is the culmination of a num- 
ber of years of intimate association with children as 
their friend and teacher in both secular and church 
schools. 

This association has deepened the conviction that 
there is a disparity between our preaching and our 
practice relative to children, and this thesis is sent 
forth as an attempt to bridge that chasm. It makes no 
great claim to originality. Others have written widely 
on the subject. Whatever of merit may attach itself 
to this treatment of the subject will come from the 
impetus that it may give to the determination on the 
part of its readers to follow the example of Jesus, 
the master Teacher, who ‘“‘took a little child and set 
him in the midst of them.” 


AN APPRECIATION 


SENSE of obligation impels the acknowledg- 
ment of the assistance of many friends, both 
known and unknown to the writer. This includes 
those who so courteously replied to her questionnaire, 
giving information on the present status of the Junior. 
The services of Miss Josephine Walker, her 
Junior Department, and Rev. T. H. Mathieson, pastor 
of the University Place Christian Church, Enid, Okla., 
have been invaluable. Only by their hearty co-op- 
eration was the experimental work made possible. 
For “the franking privilege” of all library ma- 
terials and for valuable advice concerning the many 
details of physical arrangement, the writer is under 
lasting obligation to the University librarian, Miss 
Alice See. 

Especial thanks are tendered to Prof. Wilfred 
E. Powell, head of the Department of Religious Edu- 
cation, Phillips University, Enid, Okla., under whose 
direction this thesis was prepared. His interest was 
unfailing, his patience inexhaustible, his counsel unerring. 

Last, but by no means least, the writer recognizes 
her obligation to her husband, whose interest in her 
advancement has made possible the necessary reor- 
ganization of the household to accommodate her study 


schedule. REGINA MAy CAMERON. 
11 





I. 
THE JUNIOR HIMSELF 


“To such belongeth the kingdom of God.”—Mark 10: 14. 


Wa is this Junior who presents himself for our 
consideration? Dr. J. M. Millard says that he 
is “a conglomerate of twenty thousand wiggles, and 
each wiggle has a personality.” Equally true is it 
that he is a compilation of a thousand influences from 
without and from within; the projection of all his 
ancestors, especially of the two preceding genera- 
tions. Viewing merely his six immediate ancestors 
with their varying mental and physical endowments, 
it is not difficult to account for the personality of 
those twenty thousand wiggles. 

The Junior we are to study is to be found in 
the fourth, fifth or sixth grade of the public school, 
and is approximately nine, ten or eleven years of age. 
This is a very significant period in the development 
of the individual. It is characterized by good health 
and abundant energy. Physical growth, which has 
been rapid, is now retarded. There seems to be a 
disposition on the part of nature to relax before en- 
tering upon the strenuous period of adolescence which 


is to follow. But, while bodily growth is slower, the 
13 


14 The Junior and the Church 





law of compensation still holds, and moral and social 
development is accelerated. 

Self-assertion.—This is very noticeable in the 
spirit of independence and aggressiveness. This self- 
assertiveness often manifests itself in “talking back,” 
if not in actual disobedience. The child is termed 
“self-willed” and “contrary” when he is only following 
the course of nature and is attempting to realize his 
selfhood. 

So strong is the feeling of independence during 
the Junior period that very little team play is en- 
gaged in. Rivalry and competition enter largely into 
the group activities. Personal achievement ranks 
first with our Junior. Many kinds of games are 
played at this stage in his development. This is 
due probably to the fact that some of the games of 
middle childhood are still enjoyed, while new ones 
are constantly being learned. Not much in the way 
of inventiveness characterizes this period, but so great 
is the imitative faculty that to see a thing done is 
to do it. 

Energy.—So much energy that must be got rid of 
is stored up that we may regard play as the Junior’s 
safety-valve. Sometimes he gets the name of being 
mischievous, when he is merely letting off steam! 
While physical activity is the background for most 
of the games, especially for the boy, there is a grow- 
ing appreciation for the quieter amusements, such as 
puzzle games, guessing games, questions and answers, 
picture shows. At this time, also, the language craze 
strikes.deep. Signs and symbols are employed, finger 


The Junior Himself 15 





language and “pig-latin” are perfected to a remark- 
able degree. 

Group Tendency.—The gang spirit is prevalent. 
Informal groups, and more or less formal clubs, are 
organized by both sexes. With this comes a new 
force in the child’s life. Heretofore his opinions 
have been derived from his parents and teachers, 
and their actions have been imitated. Now he 
chooses as his model the one of his companions who 
excels in some chosen sport; one who shows great 
physical prowess or some one chosen by the “gang” 
which has become his court of last appeal. His 
loyalty to it is unshakable. He will defy an out- 
sider, brave the censure of his elders, even endure 
physical punishment, rather than betray one of 
the “fellows.” This loyalty is the root of later devo- 
tion to principle, for, though his conceptions are often 
distorted, at heart our Junior is honest, true, just. 
He has a keen sense of consistency, and is quick to 
discern its absence in others. 

What has been said about the gang applies par- 
ticularly to the boy, but the girl also has her social 
crowd, which is the mold from which her opinions 
come. Her ideas of dress and conduct are no longer 
derived from her mother. She wants to do what the 
“crowd” is doing, for she, too, is experiencing the un- 
folding of personality. 

Imitation.—Both boys and girls are beginning to 
form ideas. These first ideas are necessarily concrete. 
The one who can do things is the hero, and the adora- 


tion accorded him is but childhood’s way of paying 
2 


16 The Junior and the Church 





homage to achievement. The instinct of imitation im- 
pels the Junior to reproduce the deeds of his hero. 
Though some maintain the contrary, he will just as 
readily follow the right as the wrong example if it is 
as vividly presented to him. His love of approbation 
goes a long way toward solving the problem of di- 
recting his activities. In one of our Southern cities 
the Scoutmaster was a man who loved and understood 
boys. He was “Uncle Tom” to all children. The one 
all-encompassing ambition of the boys was to receive 
a word of praise from him, and to become old enough 
to be a Scout. 

Susceptibility——Juniors are very susceptible to en- 
vironment. Suggestibility is inherent in a higher de- 
gree than is always apparent. The habit of inhibition 
has not been established to any considerable extent. 
His impulse is to do, and his tendency is to feel like 
those around him. 

Another outstanding characteristic of the Junior 
is his freedom from affectation. He will speak the 
truth in all frankness, often to the embarrassment 
of the ones addressed. At the same time he may pos- 
sess a real affection for those same persons. Illustra- 
tive of this is his free discussion of the age, clothing 
or physical defects of his family and friends. His 
sympathy and affection include his playthings, espe- 
cially animals. How a boy loves his dog! It may 
be a most unattractive specimen to an older person, 
but, if it is abused and seeks protection and comfort 
from its master, no amount of argument is sufficieat 
to establish its inferiority in the boy’s sight. 


The Junior Himself 17 





The girl’s affection and care for the oldest, most 
dilapidated doll in her collection is but a manifestation 
of the mother instinct to give especial attention to the 
unfortunate child. 

Religious Aptitude.—One other positive character- 
istic of our Junior merits more than casual consid- 
eration—that of his religious aptitude. Religious he 
is in a very marked degree, though not in the same 
way that adults are religious. While there is not a 
definite religious instinct, the combination of other in- 
stincts makes it practically impossible for our Junior 
to be other than religious, and gives us a basis for his 
training. Let us hold this in mind until we come 
later in our study to look into the need for cultivating 
‘this religious germ. 

Negative Qualities—We are sometimes inclined to 
overlook the negative qualities of later childhood. We 
shall need to remember that our Junior is deficient in 
experience and in reasoning; that he has not yet had 
opportunity to develop the power of sustained atten- 
tion except where his interest is keen; that his 
patience is quite limited; and abstract thought is 
almost wholly impossible. His standards of right and 
wrong will differ from those of his elders, for he has 
not yet acquired the ability to see both sides of a 
question, and is thus deficient in critical judgment. 

Let us, then, as his observers and teachefs, give him 
due credit for all his positive faculties, and with faith 
and patience help him to make up his deficiencies until 
he shall come to the “measure of the stature of the 
fulness of Christ.” 


II. 
THE JUNIOR AND THE HOME 


“Take heed to thyself and to thy teaching.”—1 Tim. 4: 16. 


HE foregoing discussion attempted to present, as 

far as possible, the characteristics which the 
Junior displays when he is free from restraint of au- 
thority. The purpose of the present study is to view 
him in the smallest sphere of his activity—the home; 
to find out what his real place in the home is, and 
how he reacts toward it. 

Homes are of such diversified character that it may 
be well to group them with respect to their attitude 
toward children, remembering that between the 
groups there is no broad nor clearly defined line of 
demarcation. For our purpose the two extremes will 
suffice. 

Severe Discipline—Consider first the home in 
which discipline is severe; the authority of parents 
must not be questioned; prompt obedience to com- 
mands expressed and unexpressed is exacted. 

What will be the Junior’s response to such treat- 
ment, his attitude toward his parents? To answer 
correctly, we must keep in mind the characteristics 


previously discussed. Normally, he is coming to the 
18 


The Junior and the Home 19 


stage of his development when he is beginning to 
realize his own personality. He is learning to think 
for himself and to make comparisons. His inde- 
pendence is asserting itself. If, then, as is but 
natural, he wants to know why certain acts are pro- 
hibited, and is given no reason except the “because 
I say so” of his parents, there will be friction. If he 
does not rebel openly, in all probability he will do so 
in his heart, and a breach is made between parents 
and child which, like 


“The little rift within the lute, 
By and by will make the music mute, 
And, slowly widening, silence all.” 


No Discipline-—The other extreme is the home in 
which the child is supreme dictator, either because 
of a mistaken sense, on the part of the parents, of his 
individuality, which must not be hindered in its devel- 
opment, or because the parents are not willing to 
pay the price of eternal vigilance and consistency nec- 
essary to the right training of the child. In either 
case, the result is the same. The negative qualities 
are operative. The Junior is lacking in experience; his 
reasoning is not logical; his patience is easily ex- 
hausted; his attention is unsustained for any very 
appreciable period; his judgments are unsound—hence 
we find chaos in the home, and the child is not always 
to blame. Would it not be wise for parents first to 
examine themselves? 

Either of these types may be a Christian home, 
at least nominally so, and the parents may think they 


20 The Junior and the Church 





are doing what is best for the child. Their fault is 
not one of purpose, but of judgment. 

The real home is a moral and religious community 
in which each individual has rights and privileges with 
corresponding responsibilities. Where there is no law, 
or where obedience to the will of some superior person 
is secured through compulsion, the real educational 
opportunity of the home is forfeited. It is not through 
mere conformity, but through exercising the functions 
of a member of the family community, that the char- 
acter of the child is developed. 

The Family a Community.—Professor Coe very 
fittingly says: “The starting-point for solving this 
whole problem of uniting gentleness with firmness, 
joyousness with obedience, is the conception of the 
family as a community rather than a mere collec- 
tion of individuals. Community life implies mutual 
giving and receiving, helping and being helped, and 
also the submission of every member to the neces- 
sary conditions of a common life. Law is involved 
in the very idea of the family as a community. 
It is not necessary to introduce any legalistic or 
judicial notions of authority; the authority of fam- 
ily law lies open to the sight of the family itself... . 
It is simply mutual helpfulness so organized as to ex- 
ecute itself with efficiency. Hence the parents take 
their place within the family, not as the source of its 
law, but as subjects of it. Sharing the life of obe- 
dience with their children, they teach most effec- 
tively the lesson of respect for law. The fact that 
children must obey before they understand the rea- 


The Junior and the Home 21 





sons for obedience need not produce any sense of 
being arbitrarily dealt with, for their suggestibility 
enables them to assume both externally and inter- 
nally the attitudes of those who surround them.” 

Looking upon the home as a community will help 
to solve most of the problems that arise in dealing 
with the Junior. His interest in collections of all 
kinds, from postage-stamps to garter-snakes, has mani- 
fested itself. His right as a member of the home 
community entitles him to a place in which to store 
his property and insures him that it shall remain un- 
molested. On his part he must see to it that his col- 
lection does not infringe upon the rights of others. 
Before criticizing the Junior we should give attention 
_to the home from which he comes, for he is molded 
more by the unconscious influences with which he 
is surrounded than by the formal teaching given 
him. He reflects the lives and thoughts of his 
elders, and is quick to respond to sympathetic treat- 
ment. 

Home Religion.—The home is the best institution 
for religious teaching, but in the home where Christ 
is professed, but not lived, it is not easy to interest 
the Juniors in becoming Christians. They readily 
discern inconsistencies. There is no attraction for 
them in merely “belonging to the church.” They are 
advocates of the principle, “Show me your faith by 
your works.” Childhood is nature’s time for habit 
formation, and the Junior age is the strategic time 
for the crystallization of the habits we desire to 
be permanent. The majority of folk, according to 


22 The Junior and the Church 





Professor Pratt, are religious “because they were 
taught to be religious,” because they were “submerged 
in a medium until they had absorbed it.” Hence, 
the child is what the home is. The impulse of imi- 
tation is irresistible, and the result of imitating acts 
of devotion is to produce the corresponding emotions. 
The whole question of “the Junior and the home” 
may be summed up in the words of Solomon: “Train 
up a child in the way he should go, and even when he 
is old he will not depart from it.” 


IIT. 
THE JUNIOR AND THE SCHOOL 


“The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge.”—Prov. 1: 7. 


URRENT among public-school teachers is a say- 

ing that they can judge the homes of their pupils 
by their conduct. This statement needs some quali- 
fication. Other things being equal, it is true, but 
other things are not always equal. Children do reflect 
their home training to a marked degree. Any ob- 
server is able to distinguish attitudes, bodily move- 
ments and expressions copied from inmates of the 
household. This is more noticeable in the Primary 
than in the Junior grades, and more noticeable in 
all grades when the children are not conscious of 
observation. We have already mentioned the spirit 
of independence in thinking and acting that begins 
to develop in the Junior. 

Outside Influences.—Home influences are being 
more and more modified by contact with the outside 
world, so that as soon as the boy or girl is outside 
the bounds of the severely disciplined home he or 
she may react to the other extreme merely from a 
sense of relaxation, and thus cause more disturbance 


in school than the one who has not been under home 
23 


24 The Junior and the Church 





restrictions. This latter one, from motives of his own, 
may seek to gain the good will of the teacher. A 
typical illustratiun came under the observation of 
the writer while employed as a teacher in the public 
schools. 

Illustration.—Tucker delivered papers and mowed 
lawns for spending-money. He obeyed at home 
because he was commanded to do so, or was se- 
verely punished for disobedience. At school he was 
the terror of his fifth-grade teacher in spite of the 
fact that he received double punishment when his 
misdemeanors became known to his father. 

Robert Henry had all the spending-money he 
wanted; drove his own high-powered racing-car; made 
annual reservations at the theater, and was under 
no authority. In spite of their parents, both boys 
were lovable fellows. 

“Miss Mary” was an ideal teacher for the fourth 
grade. She was a champion tennis-player, delighted 
in hiking to “Spindle-top,”’ could eat more “hot dogs” 
than any of the gang, and had a collection of foreign 
coins. Besides this she possessed rare qualities as 
a musician—a beautiful, sympathetic voice, and the 
ability to sing ragtime on demand. Needless to say 
that her judgment of the homes of her pupils was all 
on the credit side of the ledger. All went well with 
our boys until they were promoted to the fifth grade, 
over which “Miss Hannah” presided. While she was 
an excellent instructor, with far more experience than 
“Miss Mary,” her chief interest was in having her 
pupils master the course of study outlined by the 


The Junior and the School 25 


superintendent so as to insure her retention on the 
teaching force and to merit a recommendation for an 
increase in salary. 

Soon after promotion, when Tucker was making 
things merry, Robert Henry appeared at school with 
a large, highly ornamental box of chocolates. Con- 
trary to his usual procedure, he declined to share it, 
explaining in a lofty manner that it was for “Miss 
Hannah.” Tucker was amazed and said in his blunt 
fashion: “Why, do you like her?” With a superior 
smile, Robert Henry replied: “Ugh! I’m not studyin’ 
about liking her. JI want her to like me.” And, 
tapping his box of candy lightly, added: “Boy, 
that ain’t candy; that’s policy.” 

_ ‘Teamwork.—Responsiveness to environment is 
further illustrated by the weekly fire-drill. Regard- 
less of what he is engaged in doing, when the alarm 
is sounded, each pupil must take his place in line 
and march at the command of the teacher. A very 
high percentage of all the activities of life are mat- 
ters of habit. The routine of school work, regular 
periods for recitation and study, approbation for work 
well done, high marks, special privileges, all contribute 
toward the formation of habits. Neatness, prompt- 
ness and accuracy are fostered by the careful teacher. 
In most public schools punctuality is made a prime 
virtue. In the school system to which reference has 
been made before, the tardy pupil was ostracized by 
his classmates. During six years’ experience the 
writer recorded only one case of tardiness. That one 
offender was a child who had just moved into the 


26 The Junior and the Church 





city, and had not learned of the strong sentiment 
in favor of punctuality. 

Was that record maintained in the Bible school? 
To ask the question is to answer it. No one seemed 
really to care if the pupils were tardy at Bible school. 
The teachers themselves were not above being late. 
Indifference was likewise manifest toward the prep- 
aration of lessons and care of materials. Church 
schools have made a serious mistake in not keeping 
abreast of the public schools in the expectations of 
Juniors. Some one will say “the church school has 
no authority.” That is a false notion. It has as 
much authority as it will use, and more. It is not 
authority, but leadership, that is needed. Children 
capable of solving problems in fractions and percent- 
age on Monday have been deemed incapable of pre- 
paring lessons or even listening to any real instruc- 
tion on Sunday, and underestimating their abilities 
has not been conducive to much effort on their part. 

Drill.—The public school gives much time to drill 
in the formal subjects—arithmetic, spelling, penman- 
ship. This is the time when it is easiest to fix habits. 
Reading has become sufficiently easy to afford enjoy- 
ment. Memory is at floodtide. Forms of language 
and selections of literature are stored in the mind 
with ease and pleasure. Some schools include a few 
Bible passages, but generally this is not permitted. 
The Bible school must supply this material if the 
home can not be depended upon to do it. 

Juniors and Music.—Music, perhaps, comes nearer 
to making a universal appeal to humanity than any 


The Junior and the School 27 





one thing. What kind of music do Juniors enjoy? 
What kind of music do we hear in our grade schools? 
If it is a well-organized school system that we visit, 
we will find a Victor with records carefully selected 
and graded for teaching musical appreciation. Dur- 
ing the singing period we will find both boys and girls 
taking an active interest in the lesson. The opposite 
condition is the exception. (This statement is based 
upon the writer’s experience as supervisor of public- 
school music.) What is the reason for this hearty 
participation in the music lesson? There are a num- 
ber of reasons, but two only will be given. The first 
is that all children like to sing when they have a 
sympathetic leader, and the second is they like to 
sing what they like to sing. Some favorites with our 
Juniors are: 

“The Wind.” 

“The Sea Shell.” 

“The Swing Song.” 

“Granddaddy Long Legs.” 

“Boy Scouts.” 

(hires Alarm.” 

“Old Glory.” 

In these songs action and rhythm abound, and the 
sentiment is not babyish. A decided contrast was 
observed in a Bible school that was visited recently. 
The superintendent scolded the children because they 
would not sing “Jesus Wants Me for a Sunbeam.” 
A robust boy nine years of age muttered that he 
didn’t want to stay down there (in the basement) 
and sing that old baby song; he wanted to go up- 


28 The Junior and the Church 


stairs where the men were. The sympathy of the 
visitor was with the boy. Unfortunately, there are 
not many religious songs that are so written as to 
make Juniors, especially Junior boys, like them. 
They do like “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” “True- 
hearted—Whole-hearted,”’” and “America the Beautiful.” 

Grading Overdone.—In our zeal for graded mate- 
rial, we have sometimes gone too far. It is a mistake 
to think that the child must see the purpose and value 
of all that he learns. He will have an appreciation 
of much that he can not understand. A child three 
years of age repeatedly asked to have “Holy Night, 
Silent Night,” sung to him. Next among his favor- 
ites was Eugene Field’s “Beautiful Red, Red Drum.” 
Just how much those songs meant to him could not be 
determined, but it is certain that such phrases as 
“Shepherds quake at the sight,” and “The booty the 
Injuns got,” were entirely unintelligible. We are not 
advocating the old school method, which required pu- 
pils to perform tasks regardless of interest, supposing 
that mental discipline was being gained—no adult, 
and certainly no child, can put forth his best effort 
when acting under compulsion—but we are insisting 
that the Junior is as capable of mental exercise and 
of physical control on Sunday as he is on Monday. 
He is as sensitive as a mercurial barometer, and will 
respond to his atmosphere as readily. He is not the 
same Junior in Bible school that he is in public 
school, because the school atmosphere is different. 
We have overlooked the fact that he usually does 
what is expected of him five days of each week. We 


The Junior and the School 29 





must begin to expect more of him on the other days, 
so that his life will appear the continuous process that 
it really is. His religion is not capable of being pig- 
eon-holed during the week and produced on Sunday 
when he dons his best clothes. Frequently the very 
opposite effect is produced by Sunday attire. The 
girl becomes self-conscious, and displays her new rib- 
bon with pride, while the boy is made miserable in 
starched collar and new shoes. 

John Dewey, in “My Pedagogic Creed,” says: “I 
believe that the school is primarily a social institution. 
Education being a social process, the school is sim- 
ply the form of community life in which all those 
agencies are concentrated that will be most effective 
in bringing the child to share in the inherited resources 
of the race, and to use his own powers for social 
ends. I believe that education, therefore, is a process 
of living, and not a preparation for future living.” <A 
somewhat similar view is taken by William James, 
who, in his “Talks to Teachers,” says: 

“Education can not be better described than by 
calling it the organization of acquired habits of con- 
duct and tendencies to behavior.” If we accept these 
definitions, we will do well, in dealing with Juniors, to 
give more attention to their relations to the school 
that we may reinforce and supplement the habits being 
formed so that they may count for most, for, after all, as 
Monroe says: 

“The question to be asked at the end of an edu- 
cational step is not ‘What has the child learned?’ but 
‘What has the child become? ”’ 


IV. 


THE JUNIOR AND THE CHURCH 
OF THE PAST 


“For to you is the promise, and to your children.”—Acts 2: 39. 


HE Hebrew Child.—That we may be better able 

to understand the present-day attitude of the 
church toward the child, it is well that we examine 
briefly the attitude which has obtained during the 
periods of her past history. 

If we accept Nicholas Murray Butler’s definition 
of education as a “gradual adjustment to the spiritual 
possessions of the race,’ we come at once to appre- 
ciate the position of the Hebrew child throughout the 
entire history of that people. He was considered an 
integral part of the religious community from the 
hour of his birth. Ceremonies connected with circum- 
cision, purification of the mother, weaning the child, 
gave him a definite connection with the church in his 
infancy. Philo says that children “were from their 
swaddling-clothes, even before being taught either 
the sacred laws or the unwritten customs, trained by 
their parents, teachers and instructors to recognize 
God as Father and Maker of the world,’ and that 


“having been taught the knowledge (of the laws) 
30 


The Junior and the Church of the Past 31 


from earliest youth, they bore in their souls the image 
of the commandments.” “To the pious Jew the 
knowledge of God was everything, and to prepare 
for or to impart that knowledge was the sum total, 
the sole object of his education.” A common pur- 
pose blended into one his national and his family 
life. 

Trained in the Home.—To quote from Edersheim’s 
“In the Days of Christ”: “On every side (in Jewish 
towns) there was evidence that religion was not 
merely a creed, nor a set of observances, but that it 
pervaded every relationship and dominated every 
phase of life.” The Mishna fastened on the doorpost, 
morning and evening devotions, private and family 
prayers and domestic rites, all made their impression 
on the child before he could speak. When he was 
old enough to ask questions about these things, he 
was not given a creed, but was told a story. A story 
in which he, too, had a part. A story of his ancestors 
and their deeds and of his relation to God through a 
covenant made long before, and of the privileges and 
duties that were his by right of birth into Jehovah’s 
chosen nation. His religious ties, having their origin 
in the ages past, were never broken, but were strength- 
ened with the passing years. At the age of twelve 
he was presented in the temple, and added privileges 
were accorded him. At that very suggestible period 
of his life, the elaborate service of the temple could 
not fail to make a deep impression on the child. 

In Jesus’ Day.—It was into this religious atmos- 
phere that Jesus was born, grew to manhood, began 

3 


32 The Junior and the Church 


His ministry and established His church. We may 
expect, then, to find the position of the child in the 
early Christian church to be very much the same as 
that of the Jewish child in the Jewish church. Such 
passages as “Lydia and her household,” “The jailor 
and all his house,” seem to point to that fact. Early 
Christian life in its segregation was in reality a school 
teaching by practice the higher principles of virtue as 
given by Christ. The entire life of the child was 
spent in this Christian atmosphere. The conduct of his 
family and community was a constant testimony to 
the power of Christ. He was constantly in the school 
of religion, so that He never knew Himself as being 
apart from it. 

Ecclesiastical Influence.—In his admirable book, 
“Education in Religion and Morals,’ Professor Coe says: 

“The Jewish church was kept close to the child 
by the fact of blood; the early Christian church by 
the pressure of environment as well as by the enthu- 
siasm of a new faith. In both cases religion was a life 
in which the child shared from the start. But Chris- 
tianity as a universal religion had to forego all the 
educational power of the tribal and national sense, and 
as a conquering religion it lost the cohesive influence 
of persecution. 

“Furthermore, it withdrew the church from the 
child. The practical effect of ecclesiasticism is that 
spiritual life ceases to be a homespun, every-day 
matter; it is something centered yonder in the 
church or the priest. ... There comes a sharp sepa- 
ration between the sacred and the secular, and Christ 


The Junior and the Church of the Past 33 


is supposed to speak through the lips of a par- 
ticular set of men in particular places and at particu- 
lar times.” 

Christianity’s contact with Greek learning gave 
rise to the catechetical schools. These schools, by 
their attempt to harmonize heathen philosophy with 
Christian religion, put further distance between the 
church and the child. Even the Catechumenate, 
which had been an effective means of training those 
who had not been admitted to full membership in 
the church, declined when infant baptism and the 
confirmation came into use. The study of Greek lit- 
erature led to heresies and the consequent formula- 
tion of dogma as a test of faith. These were far 
removed from the spontaneous interests of childhood. 
More attention was given to the profession of faith 
than to the practice of the precepts of Christianity. 

As a revolt against the increasing corruption in 
the church monasticism arose. By its very nature 
and purpose it was incompatible with child life. 
Children do not naturally manifest any tendency 
toward asceticism. They draw no clear distinction 
between commands and advice. Martyrdom does not 
particularly appeal to them, nor are they especially 
attracted by the idea of poverty and obedience. 
While we find an occasional monk like Jerome, 
who was interested in the Christian training of chil- 
dren, the chief concern of the monastics was to mor- 
tify the flesh in order to glorify the spirit. 

Mysticism, with its stages of purification, illumina- 
tion and perfection, was no more closely related to 


34 THU RHIOE anatihed Chacak 





the growing child than its successor scholasticism, 
with its attempts to standardize knowledge. No 
doubt great service to humanity was performed by 
such men as Anselm, Abelard, Thomas Aquinas and 
Peter the Lombard, but the very crystallizing of relig- 
ion into “Summa Theologia” and “Sententiz” put it 
beyond the comprehension of the child, and the em 
continued to widen. 

Strange to say, this gulf was not spanned by the 
Reformation. Luther, with his advocacy of direct 
access of the soul to the truth of God, demanded uni- 
versal education. Comenius attempted to discover the 
natural law of mental development. Nevertheless, 
in their attempt to free the soul from dogmatism, 
these reformers soon set up a new dogmatism. Even 
a casual examination of the creeds and catechisms 
that arose will reveal their utter unfitness for teach- 
ing young children to know God as their Father 
and Jesus as their daily companion. 

What Catholics Did.—The Catholic Church, 
aroused to action by the spread of the Reformation, 
turned her attention to the education of her children, 
which policy she has continued to pursue with such 
success that no appreciable inroads upon her terri- 
tory have been made since the days of Loyola. To 
this wise teacher is credited the statement that “edu- 
cation is not a question of malin religious men, but 
the religious making of men.” The Catholic Church 
maintains that if you will give her control of the 
children until they are seven years of age, you may 
have them thereafter. In this country we are accus- 


The Junior and the Church of the Past 35 


tomed to accord to the State first right to the school- 
time of her children, but there are sections in which the 
State must give way to the Catholic Church at stated 
times and seasons when religious instruction is to be 
given. This church subordinates everything to the 
religious instruction of her children. Deny her the 
right to do so as we may, and object to her policy 
as we do, the fact remains that she continues to press 
her claim against all opposition. 

Effect of Doctrines—Another potent factor in 
widening the gap between the church and the experi- 
ence of the child was the theology of St. Augustine, 
especially his doctrine of salvation. His conception of 
inborn sin, penalty and judicial procedure permeated 
the whole church—Roman, Lutheran, Anglican and 
Calvinistic. Only two classes were recognized—“the 
saved” and “the unsaved.” One plan of salvation was 
held out alike to the hardened sinner and the young 
child. Little wonder, then, that we find such cases as 
Bunyan and Brainard spending years in miserable 
searching for some indefinable experience of conver- 
sion. The words of Jesus, to all intents and purposes, 
had been paraphrased to read: “Except ye become as 
grown men and become converted, ye can in nowise 
enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

Back to the Child—Among the first influences 
leading the church back to the child were the revivals 
and work of Zinzendorf, in Germany; of Wesley and 
Whitefield, in Great Britain, and of Edwards and 
Whitefield, in the United States. Zinzendorf and 
Wesley realized that no revival could be permanent 


36 The Junior and the Church 





in its results, nor any reformation abiding, unless the 
young were reached and systematically trained in the 
principles of Christian living. Zinzendorf and his co- 
workers preached directly to children. Great numbers 
of them were gathered into the church fold and given 
personal instruction in small groups under the care 
of special teachers. Wesley laid great stress on the 
work among children and on class instruction of his 
converts. He said: “Unless... / we'can?take carejor 
the rising generation, the present revival of religion 
.. will last only the age of a man.” He admonished 
his preachers, whether they liked it or not, to spend 
an hour a week with children. This preaching to 
children was looked upon as a new thing. The 
Scripture sayings, “A little child shall lead them” and 
“Thou didst hide these things from the wise and 
understanding and didst reveal them unto babes,” had 
been forgotten—crowded out of the mind by other 
matters. In their zeal for a great harvest, the most 
fertile soil had been overlooked. The church did not 
keep pace with secular educators, nor did she make 
use of the principles discovered by them. It was left 
for us in modern times to appreciate the prophetic ut- 
terances of these educational philosophers who ad- 
vanced the theory that “nature is the progressive un- 
foldment, not only of material structures, but also 
of human values.” They held the view that human 
life is subject to the same laws of development that 
produce the towering oak from the tiny acorn. In 
other words, all that’ can ever be in man’s world is 
implicit in nature, Sir Francis Bacon identified relig- 


The Junior and the Church of the Past 37 





ious processes with those of nature. Comenius, in 
“The Great Didactic,’ maintains that the roots of 
piety are present in us from the beginning. He says: 
“Tf we deny that we, with our offspring, are unfit for 
the kingdom of God, how was it that Christ said of 
children that theirs was the kingdom of heaven? Or 
how can He refer us to them, bidding us to become 
as little children, if we wish to enter the kingdom 
of heaven?” 

Pestalozzi not only believed in the innate religious 
qualities of the child, but also in the necessity for 
cultivating those qualities throughout the entire edu- 
cational process. 

Froebel gives us the most complete expression 
of this belief in the essentially religious nature of 
children, and of it unfolding through education. 

Robert Raikes’ Movement.—The Sunday-school 
movement was inaugurated by Robert Raikes as a 
purely philanthropic enterprise, and in Europe it 
has continued to be conducted very much along mis- 
sionary lines. The odium of its humble origin re- 
mains even to-day. In America, possibly because of 
its more democratic form of government and of 
society, the Sunday school found more ready entrance 
into the church and early became one of its most 
valuable agencies. In 1824 the American Sunday 
School Union, which was destined to exert such 
nation-wide influence, was organized. The purpose 
in the main was “conversion,” but teaching more or 
less adapted to that purpose was systematically car- 
ried on, We can not go into the history of the 


38 The Junior and the Church 





Sunday school, glorious as that history has been. 
Suffice it to say that it was the agency through which 
the church began to retrace her steps over the long 
distance that had separated her from the child. This 
distance was not to be traversed in one generation, 
nor in two. Not all Christian leaders had the vision 
of a Haley nor the understanding of educational prin- 
ciples of an Eggleston or a Vincent. Long and 
tedious has been the process, but progress, though 
slow, has been steady. In every generation there 
have been those who have caught the true spirit 
of Christ in regard to the child and have tenaciously 
held on in spite of difficulties. One such prophet 
and seer was Horace Bushnell. 

Bushnell and Others.—Surrounded on all sides as 
he was by Calvinistic theology, Bushnell took a definite 
stand against the idea that the child is a child of 
wrath until such a time as he shall by some mirac- 
ulous experience become the child of God. He em- 
phasized the importance of Christian training in the 
home. He contended for the principle that “a child 
ought to grow up a Christian and never know him- | 
self otherwise.” Had Christian leaders everywhere 
been able to grasp this conception of Christian nur- 
ture, the problem of “the Junior and the church” 
would have been solved long ago. 

Two reasons for the failure of the church to follow 
Bushnell’s leading are obvious. The old dogmatic 
conceptions of religious life had too firm a hold upon 
the minds of its members. They could not in a 
moment shake off what had been instilled into them 


The Junior and the Church of the Past 39 





for generations. The pressure of conformity and the 
power of habit are so strong that it is only the heroic 
soul that dares defy an established custom, or to 
raise his voice against a prevailing opinion. 

The other reason was the overemphasis that was 
being placed on evangelism. The revivals of Wesley, 
Whitefield and Edwards, scarcely a generation before, 
were still too near in point of time to be forgotten. 
Accounts of the wonder-working of the Holy Spirit 
were subjects of household discussion. So accus- 
tomed were folk to thinking of the mighty work of 
God that it was difficult to understand how one 
who could manifest such convicting and converting 
power would concern himself with leading a little 
child day by day nearer to the Christian ideal. In the 
light of God’s redeeming grace, His keeping grace had 
been overlooked. Leaders could not realize that while 
it is the privilege of the church to seek the lost, it is 
her higher privilege to prevent the loss. The su- 
preme purpose of the church during the last half of 
the nineteenth century was conversion; all her activi- 
ties were dominated by it. The aim of the Sunday 
school, as expressed by Mr. Charles Reed in his report 
to the General Convention in 1862, was: “First see 
that the spirit is safe for heaven.” With this end 
in view, for almost a century, great stress was laid 
upon teaching the Bible, and the results were little 
less than marvelous from the standpoint of memory. 
Instances are cited of pupils who could repeat chap- 
ters, whole books, and in some cases even the entire 
New Testament, 


40 The Junior and the Church 





Nothing great is born without travail, neither is 
any great movement accomplished suddenly. It re- 
mained for the present generation -to discover that 
knowledge “about the Bible” and “about God” is not 
sufficient, but that religious instruction must be ac- 
companied by religious training. The child must 
be brought into close personal touch with the great 
spiritual forces of the religion of Jesus. We must 
face the fact that the childless church, like the child- 
less family and the childless nation, is doomed to © 
extinction. 


V. 


THE JUNIOR AND THE CHURCH 
OF THE PRESENT 


“Suffer the little children to come unto me; forbid them not.” 
—Mark 10: 14. 


PRACTICAL Approach.—The relation of the 

Junior to the church of the past is a matter of 
history. We have sketched that history briefly in 
order to impress the fact that, as a pendulum swings 
from one extreme to the other, the church has swung 
away from the child, and is now on the backward 
trend toward its former close intimate connection. 
Just where we find it to-day is a difficult question to 
answer. So diverse are the attitudes toward the ques- 
tion that no attempt toward dogmatic statements will 
be made. Some poignant facts secured by means of a 
questionnaire (see Addenda 4) command our serious 
attention. This questionnaire was sent to seventy-five 
churches of seven leading communions. The territory 
covered has for its extremes Chicago and New Orleans 
on the one hand, and Los Angeles and Richmond on the 
other. Churches with fewer than one hundred mem- 
bers, and churches with several thousands of members, 
were included. With these considerations in mind, we 


should be able to weigh the evidence and arrive at a 
41 


42 The Junior and the Church 





fairly just conclusion as to the present status of “The 
Junior and the Church.” 

The forty-one churches responding to the ques- 
tionnaire reported a total of 3,129 children of Junior 
age (nine, ten and eleven years) in Sunday school. 
The largest number in any one school was three hun- 
dred; the smallest number was eight. Of those 3,129 
children approximately 38 per cent. are members of 
the church, and 37 per cent. regularly attend the 
morning preaching services. Two facts revealed by 
my respondents in regard to church membership 
should possibly be mentioned. A Congregational 
church, reporting two hundred Juniors in Sunday 
school, explained that as a church they make no effort 
to enlist children in active membership until they are 
twelve years of age. This is almost exactly balanced 
by a Roman Catholic church, which considers all chil- 
dren born of Catholic parents as church-members. 

Recognition for Church Attendance.—Only seven- 
teen of the forty-one respondents reported any recog- 
nition for church attendance. One very significant 
evidence of the unsettled opinion along this line lies 
in the fact that no fewer than seven methods of rec-> 
ognition are in use. Eleven churches use the grading 
system in Sunday school and allow grades varying 
from 5 per cent. to 25 per cent. for church attendance. 
One minister mentions an occasional ‘“‘boost” for the 
Juniors present at the morning service. Another sim- 
ply keeps a record; still another has an honor-roll 
on which is placed a star for each Sunday’s church 
attendance. One old-time Southern gentleman writes 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 43 


that he recognizes the children by special attention 
and kindness. The most elaborate system is used by 
a Congregational Church in Los Angeles. All Jun- 
iors who attend the morning services for three con- 
secutive months are publicly presented a “Church 
Worship League” pin. For the second three months, 
a year’s subscription to “Everyland.” 

These various plans would seem to indicate that 
we are aroused to the desirability of having our 
Juniors in the service, but let us remember that only 
411% per cent. of those reporting make any recogni- 
tion whatever of the children who attend the adult 
services, and that, aside from giving a grade on the 
Sunday-school card, notice is taken by only 14 per 
cent. of my respondents. 

Juniors During the Preaching-hour.—Twenty-three 
of the forty-one churches reported that no provision 
was made for Juniors during the preaching-hour. 
These churches include 50 per cent. of the children 
we are considering. More than fifteen hundred Jun- 
iors are dismissed from Sunday school to go home if 
they wish. If they attend the preaching services, 
they do so of their own accord, for they are receiving 
no encouragement from the church itself. 

Eight churches reported that special provision is 
made for the Juniors in the morning service. It is 
interesting to note that the same number of methods 
of doing this occur. They are as follows: 

(1) Stories and illustrations are introduced into 
the sermon. The reporter says that the adults enjoy 
these as much as the children do. 


44 The Junior and the Church 





(2) Occasionally Juniors are asked to sing a spe- 
cial song during the morning service. 

(3) Juniors are in the service for a part of the 
hour. A story is told to them, after which they are 
dismissed. 

(4) A short sermon is preached to Juniors, who 
then pass to the Sunday-school rooms for mission 
study or expressional work connected with the Sun- 
day-school lesson. | 

(5) Reservation is made in the balcony for Jun- 
iors and Intermediates, who are dismissed after the 
story is told to them. 

(6) Two churches using the Junior congregation 
plan permit the Juniors to attend the adult com- 
munion once each quarter. 

(7) A record is kept by means of a card system. 
The card is punched to indicate the services attended 
by the Juniors. 

(8) On one Sunday each month the morning ser- 
vice, including the sermon, is planned especially for 
Juniors. 

The diversity of methods here would again em- 
phasize our lack of unity of purpose and of opinion 
concerning the spiritual needs of Juniors and the way 
to meet those needs. 

Junior Congregations.—Of the forty-one respon- 
dents, nine have Junior congregations. Five of these 
meet in basements, three in Sunday-school rooms, and 
one in an annex, 

One church has not only a “Junior,” but also an 
“Intermediate” congregation, and two graduations be- 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 45 


fore the adult church is reached, and we have heard 
of a minister who plans to carry the grading of his 
church still further, making it as complete as that of 
the Bible school. 

The Junior congregation services are of two types. 
The one corresponds very closely to the Junior Chris- 
tian Endeavor or the Junior Epworth League, except 
that in those churches where the communion is ob- 
served every Sunday, it is included in the Junior 
Church program. The other type follows quite 
closely the adult service of its own communion. Out- 
line programs of each type will be found in the 
Addenda, but a more careful examination of one of 
each may be of profit. 

In this particular congregation two hundred chil- 
dren are enrolled. The superintendent writes that 
the ages included are “as young as will stay to thir- 
teen years.” They meet in the basement of the 
church during the hour of the adult service. After a 
song, prayer by an adult, and the communion service, 
at which senior elders and junior deacons officiate, 
the younger children pass to the Primary room for 
a story period. The Juniors present the program 
outlined in “The King’s Builders.” Whatever part 
of the time is not consumed in this is spent in graded 
classwork, supplementing that of the Bible school. 
The only element in this service that differentiates it 
from the Junior Christian Endeavor or the Bible 
school is the communion. A graduation service was 
held in this congregation in January. How these 
children are being taught to feel themselves a part 


46 The Junior and the Church 





of the adult church is difficult for the writer to con- 
ceive. 

The program which follows the order of the reg- 
ular church service is made quite effective by one 
congregation that is fortunate in having an elder who 
is particularly adapted to this work. He knows chil- 
dren, and plans especially for the sermon to be deliv- 
ered to them each Sunday morning. This is the rare 
case, however. By far the majority of those we have 
examined do not, in the judgment of the writer, have 
this type of supervision. | 

In some instances the children are organized into 
a “church with its own officers.” As in the case 
noted above, the boys serve as deacons. While it is 
true that boys of this age like to hold office and to 
share responsibility, it is also true that “boys are 
boys,” and not deacons by nature. They have neither 
the qualifications nor the capacities of Scriptural 
deacons. “You can not put old heads on young 
shoulders” is a familiar aphorism. It is hardly 
possible to imagine the apostle Paul appointing a 
ten-year-old boy as a deacon, even in a children’s 
group. When Timothy was instructed to “let no 
man despise thy youth,” he was not a child, but 
had spent years in the ministry as the companion 
of Paul himself. 

Evaluation by Respondents.—The majority of 
my respondents were very guarded in their com- 
ments on the merits of the Junior congregation. 
Such remarks as “quite worth while” and “very 
satisfactory” occur, though one church reported that 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 47 


the senior congregation had come to look upon the 
Junior congregation as one of its most valuable 
assets. On the other hand, three workers, having 
tried that plan, have discarded it as being imprac- 
tical. 

The defects reported include “too great a differ- 
ence in the ages” (five to fifteen years are the 
extremes); “no rest period between Sunday school 
and the preaching service,’ and “failure to reach 
many of the pupils of the Bible school”! 

Several workers offer the objection that it is 
difficult to secure attention. They say that chil- 
dren feel no restraint, and are either listless or 
indifferent, and that when taken into the adult ser- 
vice they show no reverence. Another criticism, 
coming from the workers themselves, is that those 
who have passed the Junior age decline to attend 
the adult services, and if denied the privilege of 
remaining in the Junior congregation do not get the 
benefit of any service. That this is more general 
than would seem is indicated by age limit. Some 
churches include in their Junior congregation chil- 
dren from eight to fifteen years of age. This range 
of years brings about a more serious criticism from 
the standpoint of graded worship. Is it any easier 
to plan for this group than for one composed of 
Juniors and adults? It would seem, in the opinion of 
the writer, better not to attempt graded service if 
more advantageous grouping can not be made. 

One worker reports that many Juniors refuse to 


go upstairs to service even on special occasions, such 
4 


48 The Junior and the Church 





as “Rally Day” or “Decision Day,” asserting that 
their church is downstairs. Are we then defeating 
our purpose? Are we training them away from the 
church? The above criticism would indicate that 
such is the case in one church at least. 

Some Modern Experiments.—Noticeable among 
the modern experiments with Juniors is what may be 
called the unified or merger service. Three such 
experiments were reported. A typical example of this 
plan is that of the First Christian Church of Okla- 
homa City, Okla., where Mr. Abbott Book was director 
of religious education. On Sunday, Oct. 7, 1923, this 
new program for grades 4, 5 and 6, the Junior depart- 
ment of the church school, was inaugurated. Relative 
to it, Mr. Book says: 

“As far as I know, it is the first of its kind 
to be put into operation in any church in this country. 
We were not satisfied with the Junior church. 
There was too much of a repetition of the work 
done in the Junior department; and under this plan 
we were getting nowhere. In fact, I first became 
disgusted with the Junior church idea in my work in 
Cedar .Rapids some ten years ago, and during this 
time I have been made to feel more and more that 
the Junior church is not practical. The sixth-grade 
pupils, when they are promoted next October to the 
Junior High School department, will also be pro- 
moted into the regular morning church services. This 
will be so mentioned on their certificates.” 

The Junior department consists of an assembly- 
room equipped with pews built special size, twenty 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 49 


classrooms, a library, map and picture room, with 
reference-books for use by both teacher and pupil. 
Children are not encouraged to prepare their lessons 
at home. At 9:45, on Sunday mornings, they go 
immediately to their classrooms with their teachers 
for a period of supervised study. They have access 
to all equipment before and during this study-hour. 

Following the study-hour, the entire department 
is assembled in the auditorium for worship. This 
includes the communion, and frequently an invitation 
by the pastor, but the entire program is graded to 
meet the needs of Juniors, and at the same time 
it is as dignified as the adult service. 

Next comes the recitation of the lessons prepared 
during the study-hour. Then an assembly period of 
thirty minutes’ drill and memory work. This in- 
cludes such portions of the Scripture as Juniors 
should know. The great hymns of the church are 
taught, being interpreted and illustrated frequently 
with pictures by the great masters. The work is 
closed at 11:45 A. M., either with a missionary or 
Biblical story by an expert story-teller or a drama- 
tization of a Bible story by one of the classes. 

Finances in this and other departments of the 
church school are managed on the envelope system 
used by the church. The boys and girls make indi- 
vidual pledges. A great many have pledged twenty- 
five cents for each Sunday. 

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gordon were in charge of 
this department. With careful supervision, the pro- 
grame were built around some great theme. There was 


50 The Junior and the Church 





not the “hit or miss” system so frequently found 
in the church school. 

An equally interesting, though quite different, plan 
in many respects was being operated at First Congre- 
gational Church, Toledo, O., under the supervision 
of Mr. Frank Duddy, director of religious education. 
The plan grew out of the dissatisfaction of parents 
and teachers with the lack of definite educational 
results in the conduct of the Sunday school. In 
the year 1919 a thorough survey revealed the faults 
common to the average Sunday school. No attempt 
to fix the blame, but every effort to remedy it was 
made. Seeking to solve the problem of overcrowd- 
ing resulted in the organization of a Junior school to 
meet in the Parish House from 10 A. M. to 12 M. 
Formerly the entire school met from 12 M. to 1 P. M. 

In regard to the teacher problem this solution was 
offered: “If the church wants to instruct her chil- 
dren, let her hire professional teachers and pay 
them. We will grade the school as in the grammar 
grades, and hire teachers who are experienced in 
each grade; then we certainly can count on regular 
and able instruction.” 

Twenty or more classes were combined into eight 
grades, children being grouped into classes corre- 
sponding to their public-school grades. Professional 
teachers were selected according to their fitness for 
each particular grade, and were offered remuneration 
at a rate little lower than the prevailing grammar- 
school teacher’s salary. Substitute teachers were pro- 
vided for each grade. These co-operate with the reg- 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 51 





ular teachers, frequently taking charge of the grades 
in order that the same method may prevail at all times, 
and that the children may know both teachers. 

The financial problem was solved by including 
in the church budget an appropriation for religious 
education. Thus the school was made a definite part 
of the whole church program. 

The Congregational Church, as has been stated 
before, makes no attempt to bring its children into 
full church membership until after they reach the 
twelith year. This church conceived the idea of 
preparing them through a period of eight years and 
kindergarten for intelligent membership. The school 
meets in three departments: Kindergarten, Primary, 
grades one, two and three, and Junior, grades four to 
eight, inclusive. 

For our present discussion we are most interested in 
the Junior department, which begins its session at 10 
A. M. on Sunday. The first fifteen minutes are devoted 
to the singing of hymns. Under an expert teacher a 
new hymn is learned each Sunday, and is reviewed 
often enough to make the impression lasting. Re- 
sponsive reading, prayer and the principal’s story 
sermon occupy the next fifteen minutes. Grades 
four, five and six then have a forty-five-minute period 
of classwork, after which is a thirty-five-minute ex- 
pressional period. Representatives from each grade 
tell briefly the story of the preceding week’s lesson. 
Bible drill, memorizing passages of Scriptures and 
other supplementary material are included in this 
period, which is concluded with a missionary story 


52 The Junior and the Church 





usually centering around one of First Church’s eight 
missionaries. 

The department (grades four to eight, inclusive) 
reconvenes at 11:45 for a closing hymn. The prin- 
cipal gives the benediction and the pupils sing the 
“Amen.” 

This program was inaugurated Oct. 3, 1920. 
Mr. Duddy, in “A New Way to Solve Old Problems,” 
says: “From the first Sunday it has justified itself, 
and to-day the Junior school is as firmly a part of 
the church as is the morning service. It is the morn- 
ing service for the children.” 

There is no doubt but that more efficient teach- 
ing can be done under circumstances such as these, 
and since their aim is to bring their children, through 
teaching, into full church membership, this plan 
seems admirably suited for that purpose. Other 
churches, with different aims, would not find it so 
efficient for their accomplishment. 

A rather puzzling situation exists in one of our 
cities. A church with a membership of more than 
two thousand, having a men’s Bible class of national 
reputation, reported two hundred children in the Jun- 
ior department, 50 per cent. of whom are church- 
members, and regularly attend the morning services. 
Aside from the twenty-five points on the Bible- 
school credit card, no recognition is given for church 
attendance, nor is any provision made for the 
Juniors in the services. The superintendent re- 
ported that the Junior congregation plan was be- 
ing considered, but that they had been so occupied 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 53 


during a recent evangelistic campaign in “enlisting 
every one they could reach’ that this had not been 
attended to as yet. 

In striking contrast to the church just entered 
is a church not far distant from it. In the Junior 
church of the latter there are at present only sixty 
children; yet plans are being made for the erection of 
a beautiful Gothic chapel, seating four hundred, for 
the special use of this Junior group on Sunday 
morning. It would seem that the words of the 
prophet, “Where there is no vision, the people 
perish,” needs no repetition to this leader. 

Church Attendance Bands.—Several methods have 
been used to interest children in the regular church 
services. Among these are “Go to Church Bands,” 
“Church Attendance Leagues” and “Church Worship 
Leagues.” The most interesting of these that have 
- come to the writer’s notice is carried on under the 
designation “The Children of the Covenant,” com- 
plete description of which is to be found in Chapter 
III. of “The Church and Her Children,” by Hurlbert. 
This plan had its origin in the First Presbyterian 
Church, Cleveland, O., in October, 1897, and has 
been in continual use there since that time. It 
has been used with success also by the High Street 
Congregational Church, Portland, Me. 

The plan begins with the “Cradle Roll.” Par- 
ents are urged to bring their children to the regu- 
lar services just as soon as these little ones can 
be reasonably controlled in a public assembly. They 
sit with their parents and are taught to enter into 


54 The Junior and the Church 





the worship service and to listen attentively to the 
two Scripture lessons (one of these is always a story 
or a parable read without comment, but with special 
care), and especially to sing the congregational 
hymn. At the close of this hymn the children, 
from four years of age to eight or nine years, pass 
to the church parlors, where, under capable leader- 
ship, they have their own: service. The Scripture 
lesson read in the adult service is made the sub- 
ject of conversation, and is vividly reviewed by 
the leader. The hymn for the succeeding Sunday 
is taught. Then, after a recreational period, consist- 
ing of marching, singing, processional music and 
other exercises, the treat for the day is presented. 
A special story is told by some one skilled in this 
art. By the time this is through the adult congre- 
gation is singing its closing hymn. The parlor 
doors are partly opened. The children gather 
about the piano, and, after the benediction, sing 
one stanza of a hymn so as to be heard in the 
main auditorium. 

At the age of eight or nine years, those who 
have learned certain portions of Scripture, hymns 
and chants, and have been orderly and regular in 
attendance, become graduate members of “The Chil- 
dren of the Covenant.” These in the presence 
of the congregation receive Bibles and promise to 
read the same faithfully and to attend the church 
services regularly. They are given special attention 
and careful guidance with the view to bringing them 
into full church membership, 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 55 





The Roman Catholic Church reported that they 
do not have any service corresponding to the Prot- 
estant Sunday school. Religious instruction is given 
by good Catholics in their homes every day. In their 
schools the first period each day is devoted to re- 
ligion. The responsibility for church attendance is 
placed upon the parents. Not to attend mass is a 
sin that must be atoned for. 

The Episcopal Church made a somewhat sim- 
ilar report. Family instruction and family church 
attendance are urged. No modifications in their ser- 
vices are made on account of the children. They 
are taught to follow the ritual and participate in the 
responses. 

From the number and the variety of methods of 
securing church attendance on the part of children, 
it would seem that the church is thoroughly aroused 
to its responsibility in this direction. But when 
it is remembered that almost 60 per cent. of those 
responding to the questionnaire make no _ provi- 
sion for them, the neglect is alarming. 

This condition is not peculiar to America. The 
decline of church attendnace in England is attributed 
by “The British Weekly” to the pastoral neglect of 
children. Nearly all Anglican and Nonconformist 
churches have shown a falling off in the past year. 
Dr. Robertson Nicol lays the whole blame on pastors, 
who seem to make no effort to bring children into 
the fold. 

“We may talk as we like about the forces that 
mitigate against church attendance,’ he writes, “but, 


56 The Junior and the Church 





when all is said and done, the truth is that the pas- 
toral heart is cooling and the work of the shepherd is 
not being done.” He seems to find the activity of the 
clergy tending too much in another direction, for 
he adds: “If it were not otherwise, those respon- 
sible for our conferences and assemblies would tear 
up their programs, and know no politics and no 
theology and no criticism until the lambs were in 
the fold” (“Literary Digest,” Vol. XLVI., p. 402). 

We are in danger of forgetting that when Jesus 
said to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” he also said, “Feed 
my lambs.” ‘The manner of feeding was to lead the 
flock to pasture where all were cared for together. 
The lambs were not permitted to “go home” after 
a half-day’s feeding, but remained with the older 
sheep and the shepherd. In this age we too fre- 
quently delegate to the Bible school the responsi- 
bility for supplying the entire spiritual nourishment 
for our children. 

“It is an alarming condition,’ remarks M. M. 
Davis, in the ‘Christian Standard,” “that when the 
Bible school is fullest of children, the regular preach- 
ing service of the church has fewest of them. They 
throng the one, and we rejoice at its wonderful pros- 
perity, but they avoid the other and we grieve over 
the prospects of Zion.” 

There is told a story of a little girl who wit- 
nessed her first baptism. The place of baptism was 
the cold, muddy, turbulent Missouri River, and the 
man to be baptized was a dear friend of the family. 
The child shuddered when she saw her friend go 


The Junior and the Church of the Present 57 


into the water. She asked her mother why he had 
to be put under the muddy water, and was told that 
he wanted to be a Christian, and that it was necessary 
for him to be baptized in order to “join the church.” 
No further questions were asked at that time, but 
she continued to be troubled, and the next day 
announced that she had decided to join only the 
Sunday school. In commenting on this story, Mr. 
Davis says: “This child seems to have a large 
progeny, for there are multitudes who are practically 
of the same mind, for, though they may be baptized, 
they do not attend the services of the church.” 

Here we find our problem, a serious one indeed. 
What is the solution? 


VI. 
THE JUNIOR AND THE CHURCH OF THE 
FUTURE 


“And he took a little child, and set him in the midst of them.” 
Mark 9: 34. 


NDERSTANDING the Junior.—In the study of 

Chinese painting, a recent critic, M. R. Mar- 
guerye, justly observes that to appreciate it properly 
the westerner must forget his own mental preconcep- 
tions, and must throw overboard from his artistic edu- 
cation every critical tradition, and all the esthetic bag- 
gage that has accumulated from the Renaissance till 
now. If this is done, the difference between eastern 
and western painting resolves itself largely into a 
matter of perspective. Their landscapes show no 
background, no middle distance. This criticism may 
justly be applied to our attitude toward the relation 
of the Junior to the church. We have not seen him 
as he really is, but only as he seems. We have seen 
our conglomerate of twenty thousand wiggles as he 
deports himself at church, and have been led to ex- 
claim: “Away with him; he is disturbing our wor- 
ship!’ Perhaps, if we look at the situation fairly, 
we will discover that we are disturbing his worship. 


Mrs. Mumford, in “The Dawn of Character,” very 
58 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 59 





aptly illustrates, by a quotation, this failure on the 
part of the adults to see the child’s point of view. 

““T’ve often wondered,’ says Mr. Dooley, ‘what a 
little boy thinks about us that call ourselves grown- 
up, because we can’t grow any more. We wake him 
up in the morning when he wants to slape. We make 
him wash his face whin he knows it don’t need wash- 
ing as much as it will later, and we sind him back to 
comb his hair in a way that he don’t approve iv at all. 
We fire him off to school just about the time iv day 
when any man ought to be out iv dures, and so it 
goes. If he don’t do any iv these things, or if he 
doesn’t do them th’ way ye think is th’ right way, 
some one hits him or wants to. Talk about happy 
childhood! How wud ye like to have twinty or thirty 
paple issuin’ foolish orders to ye, makin’ ye do things 
ye didn’t want to do, and niver understandin’ at all 
why it was so? ’Tis like livin’ on this earth an’ bein’ 
ruled by the inhabitants of Mars. He has his wur- 
ruld, ye can bet on that, an’ ’tis a mighty important 
wurruld.’ ” 

We have not understood him. We have judged 
him by what we could see in the foreground, and 
have failed to consider some very basic requirements 
of the balanced picture. We have seen ourselves, the 
adult members of the congregation, as the element de- 
serving the greatest consideration on the part of the 
church. Our needs, our preferences, our comforts, 
have determined the order of service with little or no 
regard for the needs, preferences and comforts of the 
child. 


60 The Junior and the Church 





What, let us ask, is the real purpose of the public 
services of the church? Is it to nourish and to fan 
into flame the spark of religion in the adult worship- 
ers? Is the minister paid his salary to preach to men 
and women who have been church-members for years? 
Or is he to be a real pastor—a shepherd whose con- 
cern is as great, if not greater, for the lambs of the 
fold? 

The Junior’s Needs.—Laying aside our precon- 
ceived notions of the public worship for a time, let 
us consider fairly the needs of the child. When he 
comes to us he is endowed with all the faculties of 
nature—body, mind and soul. How these are to un- 
fold in the early years is entirely in the province of 
his elders to determine. It is a matter of common 
observation that a child loves and believes before it 
thinks and acts. Faith and love, Pestalozzi thought, 
“are in the formation of immortal man what the root 
is for the tree.” Given these two basic elements of 
religion, what is necessary in order to assist them in 
their normal development? Our answer will depend 
somewhat upon our definition of religion. Professor 
Pratt (“The Religious Consciousness’’) interprets relig- 
ion as an attitude toward God. He states very defi- 
nitely that it is not theology, but life; not a theory 
about a reality, it is a reality; not a feeling only, it 
means to be true; not morality, it imparts morality, 
but also involves a belief. Accepting his view that 
religion is life, a question as to the origin of spiritual 
life naturally arises. Just as isolated life is impos- 
sible physically, so it is spiritually. Society is made 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 61 





up of individuals, and individuals are the product of 
society. By the process of imitation, suggestibility 
and sympathy, the individual becomes like society. 
The child is “submerged in a medium until he be- 
comes permeated by it,’ he is “incipiently religious 
because of his instincts.” 

The Junior’s Religion.—There are three particu- 
larly potent factors in the development of a child’s 
religion: the indirect influence of actions of older 
persons; the direct teaching on religious subjects; the 
natural development of the child’s mind. It was 
_ pointed out in our study of the Junior himself that 
he is intensely interested in, and a close observer of, 
actions of older people. He imitates those actions by 
an inescapable law, and by imitating those acts he 
comes to share in the mental attitudes that accompany 
them. Thus for growing children the outward expres- 
sion of the religious attitude is not to be replaced by 
anything. Direct teaching is very necessary, but, to 
quote Pratt again, “the boy may be taught all the 
Thirty-nine Articles or howsoever many there may be, 
but if he sees in his parents and those about him no 
expression of reverence for a power greater than 
themselves, no sign of worship or of religious feeling 
in their conduct or their conversation, his religion 
will probably be of a very superficial sort. It is 
more important that he should imitate actions which 
are expressive of religious feelings and thus come 
to wonder, think and feel for himself, than that he 
should learn any amount of pious words.” By liv- 
ing the Christ life in the presence of the child, and 


62 The Junior and the Church 


by leading him to imitate that life, his spiritual 
development will be as normal as his physical and 
mental growth. This does not mean that he will 
never do wrong nor feel that he has transgressed 
God’s law. It does not mean that the child will not, 
when he comes to the age of choice, make a personal 
decision to live the Christian life and consecrate 
himself fully to the service of Christ. It does 
mean, however, that the whole trend of the child’s life 
will be in the right direction. It is but demonstrating 
the truth of Solomon’s proverb, “Train up a child in 
the way he should go, and when he is old he will not 
depart from it.” , 
Religious Feeling.—The question of religious feel- 
ing in children is a very difficult one. There is as 
great diversity in this respect as in their physical 
and mental make-up. Many children of eight or nine 
years have intense, genuine religious feeling. With 
the majority this religious awakening comes a little 
later. Those who work with Juniors, however, will 
be ever on the alert for any indication of the approach 
of these “‘seasons of the soul,’ as A. Gage calls them, 
and seize the opportunity to direct into action this 
first impulse, lest it pass without fruition. There is 
perhaps no religious worker who has not in his expe- 
rience met one or more persons who felt that early 
awakening, and, being discouraged on account of his 
youth, drifted entirely away from religious influences. 
The law of atrophy through disuse operates through- 
out the entire range of human interests—intellectual, 
moral, religious. “There can be no question that 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 63 





intellectual sluggishness and moral and religious indif- 
ferences are frequently due to an atrophy of interest 
at those periods of life when the intellectual, moral 
and religious ideas and feelings are awakening. It 
is probably a literal, scientific fact that a child’s 
interest in God or some phase of moral conduct 1s 
as completely subject to the law of atrophy as to the 
chick’s picking interest or the child’s interest in walk- 
ing” (Dawson—“‘The Child and His Religion’). This 
same thought is contained in the lines from Shake- 
speare: 


“There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at its flood, 
leads on to fortune— 

Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in 
miseries. 

We must take the current when it serves or lose our venture.” 


Age at Conversion.—By scientifically gathering 
and tabulating data dealing with hundreds of cases 
of conversion, it has been discovered that there are 
what Mr. Albert Gage calls four main ‘seasons of the 
soul.” Dr. Athearn, of Boston University, studied 
the ages of conversion of 6,194 persons scattered in 
forty-three States and representing five great com- 
munions. Of these, over 75 per cent. were converted 
before the age of twenty-five; over 50 per cent. were 
converted in the years of nine to fifteen; over 25 
per cent. were converted in the years eleven to thir- 
teen. And yet this was in a generation when 90 per 
cent. of all the church’s funds and efforts were being 


spent in trying to win adults. 
5 


64 The Junior and the Church 





“Clearly we have here need for a constructive rather 
than a reconstructive program. Too long has the 
church waited until adult men have fractured their 
relations with the kingdom of God and built up atti- 
tudes and habits that have to be broken down before 
they can be reinstalled into the kingdom of God. 
The policy of reconstructing adult life delays its 
work at least a generation too long. Its methods are 
those of the physician who waits until the epidemic 
spreads, and then by remedial measures seeks to re- 
store the curable to health, or the reformer who 
waits until anti-social acts have ripened into crime, 
and then by reformatory methods seeks to reclaim the 
recoverable; or the charity worker who waits until 
the economically inefficient have fallen into a condi- 
tion of helpless dependency, and then doles out 
relief. The reconstructive method is too tardy, too 
inefficient, and too costly in human values. It ex- 
pends its energy in gathering up the broken frag- 
ments of human lives and in making the most of the 
ruin. It keeps its accounts on the wrong side of 
the ledger. It is always hastening to overtake the 
work of the destroyer. If the church would conserve 
the priceless spiritual and human resources of the 
race, it must reshape its program. It must build char- 
acter from the ground up” (Bower-—‘“Educational 
Task of the L../C.”).” By the expenditure of 90 
per cent. of our evangelistic effort and of our money 
for the winning and holding of adults, we have sig- 
nified our acceptance of the fact that church atten- 
dance for them is desirable. Why is it desirable? 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 65 


Why can not each one of us worship in the privacy 
of his own home? While private worship is very 
essential, and is not to be neglected, the public assem- 
bly is also necessary. The apostle Paul was a great 
psychologist. When he said, “Forsake not the as- 
sembling of yourselves together,” he recognized the 
human need of the inspiration that comes from being 
in a crowd. Faith is reinforced by what Pratt calls 
the “sense of social confirmation.” “It is hard to 
believe anything which every one else doubts, hard to 
cherish a feeling which every one else ridicules, and 
hard to resist a feeling or belief which every one 
else cherishes” (“The Religious Consciousness’). The 
very fact that the congregation is assembled indicates 
' a certain degree of likemindedness. The participation 
in the same acts and attitudes strengthens the emo- 
tions by suggestion and auto-suggestion, and prepares 
the hearers for the message of the minister, so that 
they leave the services with renewed courage to meet 
the problems before them. 

Junior and Adult Attendance.—lIi, then, the adult 
who has acquired the ability to weigh evidence and 
to form judgments needs this habit of church atten- 
dance to regularly refresh his soul and equip him 
for service, how much more does the Junior who has 
not that ability need it? He is controlled very 
largely by ideals. This is the time when he needs 
a maximum of adult companionship. It is highly 
desirable, then, in his religious observances he shall 
be associated with men and women of the highest 
religious type. Men who show forth in their lives 


66 The Junior and the Church 





the “manhood of the Master.” Women who sit at 
His feet and learn of Him. Where better can we 
find these than in the church services? Where will 
our Junior find better religious acts to imitate? 
This is the logical time to establish real connections 
between the child and the church, and to give him 
religious training as well as religious instruction. Re- 
ligion is not as much a matter of knowledge as of 
attitude and feeling (1 Corinthians 13). This is the 
strategic time for habit-fixing. Professor Athearn has 
shown that the church-attendance curve drops sharply 
in the teen age. If the Junior does not acquire the 
habit while he is a Junior, the chances are that he 
will join the ranks of non-church-goers. ‘The adoles- 
cent period is very often that of upheavals, mentally, 
physically—spiritually. If the habit of church atten- 
dance has been established during the less trying 
years, it will serve as a ballast when the tem- 
pestuous time arrives and will be a prepossession in 
favor of the return to the earlier, more settled at- 
titudes. 

Church-going Habit.—I{ we have established our 
contention that the church-going habit is desirable, 
the question then arrives: How are we to secure 
to our children that habit? Is the Sunday school the 
agency through which it shall be done? A visit 
to almost any one of our churches on almost any 
Sunday of the year will give us our answer. Stand 
on the corner of the street at 11 A. M. and see the 
great throng of children pass out of the church and 
away from the service of worship. As great as the 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 67 


history of the Sunday school has been, thoughtful 
persons can not but ask, “Does the Sunday school 
train children away from the church?” We have 
been attracted by its slogan, “The Children’s 
Church,” and have overlooked the fact that if it is a 
school, it is not a church. The two have not and 
can not have the same purpose. 

The purpose of the church as stated by one 
writer (Nelson’s Cyclopedia) is fourfold: 

(1) The worship of God. 

(2) Fellowship of the saints. 

(3) Teaching the truth. 

(4) Redemption of the world. 

The Sunday school is an agency of the church 
for more efficiently accomplishing its task of teach- 
ing the truth. 

The Concern of the Church.—The first concern 
of the church, as of the family, is to take care of 
its own children and so prepare them that they may 
in turn take care of others. The child is the great 
objective of our teaching. Professor Betts very 
aptly states the matter thus: “Indeed, the child 
ought to be the objective of the work of the whole 
church. The saving of its children from wander- 
ing outside the fold is the supreme duty and the 
strategic opportunity of the church, standing out 
above all other claims whatsoever. We are in 
some danger of forgetting that when Jesus wanted 
to show His disciples the standard of an _ ideal 
Christian, “He took a little child and set him in 
the midst of them,” We do not always realize 


68 The Junior and the Church 


that to keep a child a Christian is much more im- 
portant than to reclaim him after he has been al- 
lowed to get outside the fold’ (Betts—“How to 
Teach Religion’). 

The Sunday school alone can not do this for 
the child. While it must have in it some of the 
elements of the church’s entire program, its chief 
function is to give instruction. This special work 
is its only claim to the right to exist. It can not 
supersede the church. It is not only proper, but 
necessary, for the child to be in the sanctuary. Some 
would go so far as to say that it is more necessary 
for him, if it comes to a choice, to be in the sanc- 
tuary where the atmosphere is that of worship. 
Contrast, if you will, the average Junior department 
with that of the church, and choose the one most 
conducive to worship. 

Is the Junior Provided For?—The Juniors, ac- 
cording to the respondents to our questionnaire, with 
but two exceptions, will be either in the basement 
or the annex—where their noise will not be heard. 
Too often bare floors, unsightly walls—furniture 
discarded from other departments, and out of har- 
mony or proportion, make up the equipment. Who 
could be in a worshipful mood? 

Now go to the sanctuary of the same church. 
There we find soft carpets, delicately tinted walls, 
elegant furniture, stained-glass windows, music from 
the great pipe-organ that seems an echo from heaven 
itself. The whole of our atmosphere is filled with 
worship—all this prepared for us older folk who 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 69 


should have formed our habits, and no provision 
for arousing the worshipful attitudes in children, 
or answering the call of their souls for the beautiful, 
the good, the divine! Let us repeat: It is not only 
desirable, but necessary, that they be in the sanc- 
tuary. 

Some of our modern leaders, recognizing the in- 
ability of the Sunday school to prepare children for 
church membership, have inaugurated the “Junior 
church” or “Junior congregation” as discussed in the 
foregoing chapter. This has the advantage of “grad- 
ing” the church to the age and stage of development of 
the child. But will he come to the senior church any 
more readily as an Intermediate than he will as a 
Junior? In our opinion (and we have some promi- 
nent religious educational leaders on our side), he 
will not. His training in Junior church may have 
been all that could be desired from the standpoint 
of solemnity and order, but the fact remains that 
he will still be a stranger in the adult congregation 
after the Junior years have passed, and he will have 
the extra deterrent of adolescent disturbances. 

The ordinary church service does not offer very 
much attraction for children. As was noted before, 
the church-attendance curve is sharply downward in 
the teen age. How can we prevent this? What means 
must we adopt to conserve our forces? In the lan- 
guage of a poster that is being used quite extensively: 
“What shall the church do to be saved?” and the 
answer comes back to us: “Build its program around 
childhood. Change the center from the adult to 


70 The Junior and the Church 


youth, claiming life at its source rather than reclaim- 
ing it at its end. Build into the structure of young 
life the spiritual values necessary for its fulfillment. 
Turn into its own channels the great spiritual stream 
of youthful energy and enthusiasm now going to 
waste in barren places for lack of religious education 
and training of childhood.” 

Solving the Problem.—What will this mean with 
respect to our church worship services? It will mean 
the reconstructing of our program to take cognizance 
of the presence of the Juniors as well as adults in 
our congregations, and the modifying of our services 
in such a way that all shall receive spiritual nourish- 
ment suited to their various capacities and needs. 
We must take the church back to the method used 
by Christ and the early Christian church. We must 
cease to worry about the mud on our church carpets, 
the scratches on the pews, even the wiggling of our 
Juniors, and realize that they wiggle because they are 
alive, keenly alive, and alert to all that goes on about 
them. Bring him into our church—give him the most 
desirable seat, adapt our services to his needs and 
watch him grow. 

Who is to take the responsibility for this? Just as 
the teacher is responsible for the condition of the 
school, so is the preacher responsible for the condi- 
tion of his church. His special training, and his 
freedom from other activities, make him pre-eminently 
the one to assume the responsibility. It is necessary 
to remember that interest depends on comprehen- 
sion. Almost any one of us will attend to a new 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 71 





situation until the novelty wears off, but unless there 
is something to hold our attention after that we 
grow restless. In planning our church program, that 
must be kept in the foreground. Juniors are more 
on the alert than adults. They are freer from preju- 
dices and much more responsive. They are reached 
through the eye-gate as well as the ear-gate. Their 
faculty for imitating and their high degree of sug- 
gestibility make it possible to utilize their activities. 
They will attend to anything that is worthy. The 
church service should be modified to recognize the 
presence of the children in the congregation. The 
church school is teaching the great hymns of the 
church and the devotional passages of Scripture. 
These can be used in the regular services so that the 
children can participate in them. 

The elements of the average church service are: 

(1) Praise. 

(2) Prayer. 

(3) Communion. 

(4) Offering. 

(5) Sermon. 3 : 

The prayer of the average public service perhaps 
holds least interest for the children, and for the 
adult, for that matter. The minister or layman who 
is to lead the prayer would do well to ask himself a 
few searching questions ere he stands before the 
congregation. He is to lead them, not to pray for 
them. How many of those assembled really follow 
his leading? That will depend upon how well he 
understands their needs, their hopes, their fears, their 


72 The Junior and the Church 





desires, and upon how well he can come to forgetting 
his own for the time being and lifting them by his 
spoken words face to face with the Father. Remem- 
bering this, our church prayers will take on such 
simplicity and straightforwardness that the children 
in our congregations will be made to feel that we 
are truly in the presence of God (Hurlbut, p. 56). 
We meet for the supreme purpose of worshiping 
God, and in this we have need for the greatest 
simplicity and directness. 

The third element of worship is communion, or, 
as it is designated in some churches, “The sacrament 
of the Lord’s Supper.” It is sometimes argued that 
the child can not understand this, and should there- 
fore not be permitted to touch such sacred things. 
To that argument we would offer this reply: The 
child lives in a world of idealism. It is easier for him, 
if properly taught, to come to the communion service 
in the right attitude than for the adult. He does not 
see the bread and wine as the adult does, but the 
loving Saviour who hung upon the tree. This calls to 
all that is best and noblest in him, and he responds 
accordingly—not in the same way as the adult, not 
in the way the adult would wish him to respond, but 
in the only way natural to him, in childhood’s sim- 
ple, beautiful, whole-souled way. 

In the matter of offering, the Junior can share. 
His instinct for possessions—as manifest in his “col- 
lection’—can be utilized to establish the habit of 
regularly contributing to the support of the church. 
If this habit is fixed in one generation, we will have 


* 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 73 





solved our financial problems forever, for once let 
us realize the joyous privilege of sharing all we have, 
and we will never go back to the old method. 

We come now to the last element of our service— 
instruction. That usually takes the form of a sermon. 
It is comparatively easy to modify the other four 
elements so that they are adjusted to the needs of 
the children. But when it comes to the sermon, 
many ministers decline to make the attempt. One 
successful minister, however, in commenting on this 
point, said: “I sandwich in my sermon stories, illus- 


- trations, etc. The children are quicker to catch an 


idea than the older folk.” 

Many older folk enjoy the stories as much as the 
children do. The preacher who can’t get the view- 
point of the child is out of harmony with his calling. 
If he can not get the interest of young folk, he 
usually isn’t interested in young folk. 

The Master Teacher.—Jesus was the matchless 
teacher and preacher of all time. His sermons are 
so simple that a child can get strength from them, 
yet so profound that the wisest can not fathom all 
their meaning. He used the most ordinary every-day 
occurrences, things with which folk were most fa- 
miliar, to impress the truths of His kingdom. He 
used the story extensively. Taking Him as a model, 
we will modify our services to. provide something 
especially for the children. Some song, some familiar 
Scripture, a story to illustrate some great truth that 
needs to be built into the very fiber of our children’s 
souls, so that when they come to the services they will 


74 The Junior and the Church 





come knowing that the church desires them. That it 
is their church as well as ours. 

Impression and Expression.—“We get out of a thing 
what we put into it” is a familiar aphorism, yet we are 
ignoring that principle in dealing with the Juniors. 
We expect them, through the teaching they are get- 
ting in the church school, to become members of 
the church, and when they do so we rejoice feeling 
that our goal has been reached. True, one goal has 
been reached, but life is a constant progression or 
retrogression, and unless we set another goal toward 
which to work we will lose that which we have 
already attained. We must make the child feel 
that it is his church, that he has rights, privileges 
and obligations by virtue of his membership 
in it. In other words, we must teach him to put 
something into it that he may get something out 
of it. 

What can he put into it? First of all, he can put 
himself. He can be made to feel that he will be 
missed if he is absent. Psychology teaches us that 
it is necessary, in order to form a habit, to repeat the 
act. The oftener the act is repeated the easier it 
becomes. There should be no deviation once we 
have set about fixing the church-going habit. Once 
we have him at the service, we must give him 
something to do. Some part that is especially for 
him. 

Illustration.—In order to meet this need, the plan 
being pursued at University Place Christian Church 
has been worked out. For some time the minister 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 75 


had been preaching a children’s sermon one Sunday 
each month, but was not entirely satisfied with the 
results. He had _ discussed the question with 
religious education leaders, and when approached 
with our plan was quite willing to make the extra 
preparation necessary for the story to be told each 
Sunday. 

Finally, the program was inaugurated. Special 
reservation was made for the Juniors and their teach- 
ers. Each pupil was given a copy of a “Record of 
Church Services and Attendance” (such record 
blanks may be secured from your publisher), to 
which additional questions may be added. 

As a permanent policy, the note-books are not 
recommended. It was our purpose to use them for 
three months as an experiment in order to ascertain 
as nearly as possible what the success of our 
plan would be from the standpoint of impressions 
made on the Juniors. 

Each note-book contained thirteen pages, and each 
pupil was asked to keep his own record. Too much 
has not been expected of them—they are just chil- 
dren—but we have attempted to dignify the keeping 
of this simple record by letting the children know 
that we expect them to get something out of each 
service. The results have been very satisfying to 
those who have been in touch with the experiment. 
(For further details, see Addenda 3.) 

Scripture and Hymns.—On our program we have 
arranged to take time each Sunday morning, not only 
for a story to be told to the Juniors, but also for 


76 The Junior and the Church 





them to repeat a passage of Scripture which has been 
taught them in the Bible school, or to sing one of 
the great hymns of the church. This gives them the 
feeling that what they are learning in one department 
of the church has vital connection with the other. A 
theme for the month has been selected to corre- 
spond with that used in the Junior department of the 
Bible school, and the song, the Scripture, the story, 
all are woven around this theme. It has been our 
observation that the church work all too frequently 
lacks continuity. There must be the element of 
unity in all we do in and for the church. There 
must be no conflict of interest, but one great com- 
mon purpose of bringing our children up in “the 
nurture and the admonition of the Lord.” What is 
needed is not so much uniformity of method as 
unity of spirit and purpose. 

Plans Workable.—For several reasons the Univer- 
sity Place plan commends itself to our favor. First 
among these is its adaptability to the conditions of 
the average church. The most of the plans worked 
out have been for the large, well-organized city 
church, having, if not a paid director of religious 
education, at least a number of trained and expe- 
rienced leaders for each department. The plan as 
worked out in Enid can be used in any of the small, 
one-room churches, of which there are many in this 
and in other sections of the country. It requires no 
separate room nor additional corps of workers. It 
utilizes in the worship service material that is 
taught in the Bible school, and by bringing the chil- 


The Junior and the Church of the Future 77 





dren into direct contact with the adult service it 
utilizes the force of example which is far more po- 
tent than precept in creating religious impressions 
and in developing religious habits. One very strong 
point in its favor is the absence of any external 
appeal. No reward is offered except that which comes 
from the satisfaction derived from the service itself. 
The incentive is from within the child’s own con- 
sciousness. Every effort is made to establish in our 
Junior the feeling that the church is his church; 
that the service of worship is for him as well as for 
his elders, and that his presence or his absence from 
that service will be noted. 

The Church and Its Future——When the church 
thinks of the future, it must think in terms of the 
child. The child is the forward-moving point in which 
the past and the future are fused into one continuous 
ongoing movement. In the child lie hidden forces 
that shape the church that is to be. By deliberately 
controlling the experiences of the child the church 
of to-day creates the attitude, the points of view and 
the activities that determine what the character of 
the church of to-morrow shall be. 

We must train in this generation the leaders of 
the next. With Professor Hurlbut we would say: 
“The demand of the hour is, indeed, for a league of 
worshiping children in league with God, in league 
with their parents, in league with the church, in 
league with the world mission of our age. The 
childless church is a doomed church. The vast 
majority in the heavenly land never had more than a 


78 The Junior and the Church 





child’s experience on earth, and heaven’s arches ring 
with the songs of children. We need to get used 
to their voices in the great congregation on earth. 
Indeed, in their silence here the very stones cry out 
against us.” 

The author does not look with favor upon the Junior 
church tdea. It can not cultivate the church-going habit 
in our Juniors. To form a Junior church is simply to 
add another “agency” instead of merging Juniors into 
the worship service of the church itself. The first of the 
following programs illustrates the ideal plan and practice. 


VIL. 
PROGRAMS 


Enid, Okla.—University Place Christian Church 
Juniors with Adults in Church Service 


(Preceded by Bible School, 9:45-10:55 A. M.) 
Worship, 10:55 A. M.-12:00 M. 
Prelude—Pianist plays softly, but distinctly. Choir, 
| Juniors, and all deacons and elders who are 
to officiate in the communion service, form 
rank during the prelude. 

Processional—If only one door is available, choir en- 
ters first, followed by Juniors, then by deacons 
and elders. If three doors can be used, all 
enter simultaneously. Congregation rises as 
choir enters. All remain standing until after 
the prayer and response. 

Call to Worship—Ps. 100:4, 5. (Spoken by the min- 
ister.) 

Gloria Patri—Sung by all worshipers. 

Invocation—By minister. 

Response—“Bow Down Thine Ear”’—574 in “New 
Praise Hymnal.” (Sung by all worshipers.) 

Junior Hymn—‘We’ve a Story to Tell to the Na- 
tions.” 

6 79 


80 The Junior and the Church 





Scripture Lesson—Matt. 4: 17-25. 

Communion Service. 

Hymn—‘“Break Thou the Bread of Life.” 

Offering. 

Choir Anthem. 

Story for Juniors—“The Lunch that Was Shared.” 

Prayer—That we may be ready to give “what we 
have” to the Master. 

Sermon—A Call to Service: “Follow Me.” 

Invitation Hymn—*“Give of Your Best to the Master.” 

Announcements—(If necessary. It is better to have 
a bulletin). 

Benediction. 

Postlude—This program necessitates a _ shortening 
of the sermon, but this is found agreeable to 
the adults as well as to the Juniors. The 
minister soon becomes accustomed to saying 
briefly what he has prepared, and the very 
brevity is to his advantage. A few points 
strongly emphasized make a more lasting im-_ 
pression than many points touched lightly. 


Junior Department, Baton Rouge (La.) M. E. 


Quiet Music—Handel’s “Largo.” 

Correlated Period.—(During the correlated period 
the children are under the direction of their 
teacher. This period is for information related 
to the lesson.) 

(“True-hearted, Whole-hearted,” played as pupils 
march into assembly-room.) 

Bible Drill by Superintendent. 


Programs 81 





Fellowship Service——Superintendent calls names of 
those who have had birthdays during the past 
week. The birthday pupils come forward. The 
superintendent prays: “Dear Father, we thank 
Thee for the years Thou hast cared for [names 
of pupils who have had birthdays]. Help them 
to ‘grow’ in stature, in wisdom and in favor 
with God and man.’ May they be doers of Thy 
word, Amen.” 

Worship Period. 

Superintendent.—‘Who shall ascend into the hill 
of Jehovah, and who shall stand in his holy 
place?’ 

Juniors.—‘‘He that hath clean hands and a pure 
heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto 
falsehood, and hath not sworn deceitfully.” 

Hymn.—“Come, Thou Almighty King.” 

Offering. 

Superintendent—From whom do all our good 
gifts come? 

School.—“Every good gift and every perfect gift 
is from above, coming down from the Fa- 
ther.” 

Superintendent.—Since God has done so much 
for us, what can we do for Him? 

School.—“Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these 
my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto 
me.” 

Offering Brought Forward. 

Offering Hymn.—‘We Give Thee but Thine 
Own.” ‘Expressing thanks through song. 


The Junior and the Church 





Second-year pupil tells the history of the 
Doxology. School sings, “Praise God, from 
Whom All Blessings Flow.” 

Another song of thanksgiving that has been used 
for many, many years is Psalm 100. 

Let us repeat it from memory. 

Let us bow our heads in prayer. “Our heav- 
-enly Father, we are glad that we could come 
to Thy house this morning to praise Thy 
name. We thank Thee that we are well and 
strong. Bless those who could not come 
this morning. Help each of us to so live 
that others may know that we have been with 
Jesus and learned of Him. We pray in Jesus’ 
name. Amen.” 

(“True-hearted, Whole-hearted,” played as pu- 
pils march back to classroom for lesson 
study.) 


Lesson Period. 
Closing Service (quiet music). 
Dismissal.—School sings “The Lord Bless Us and 


Keep Us.” 


Junior Department, Oak Park (Ill.) Congregational 


1. Hymns—Adapted to Junior’s life; as: 


Special Leader—“In Christ There Is No East or 
West.” 


2. Prayer—Written by the Juniors: 


“Our Father, we thank Thee that we are Thy 
children, and that we have parents here who 
provide food, clothing and education for us. 


3 Offert 
(1) 
(2) 


(3) 


(4) 
(5) 


Programs 83 


We thank Thee for our church and for our 
own department; and we thank Thee, too, 
that we live where we may know the trees 
and flowers and big out-of-doors. May we 
realize that there are many _ children all 
over the world who have not these things, 
and that we may share with them. Help 
us to grow more like Jesus in every way. 
Amen.” 

ory Service: 

Piano. 

Leader—“Freely ye have received from 
your heavenly Father, freely give.” 
Classes—“What we have, that will we give 
unto Thee.” 

Offertory Song. 

Prayer (with bowed heads)—“Our Father, 
we thank Thee for the happiness of giving; 
help us to share Thy gifts with our brothers 
and sisters. Amen.” 


4. The Story—This year taken from Hanson’s “Trav- 


el Book for Juniors.” 


5. Hymn. 
6. March to classes after announcements. 
7. Piano. 


Junior Department, Los Angeles (Calif.) 


Congregational 


9 :30—Quiet Music (leading to rising chords). 


All 


sing (standing)—“Enter into his gates with 
thanksgiving and into his courts with praise.” 


a4 The Junior and the Church 


Superintendent—“This is the day which Jehovah 
hath made.” 

School—“We will rejoice and be glad in it” (or 
some other Scripture sentence). 

All (still standing)—Repeat from memory some 
Scripture—twenty-third Psalm, 100th Psalm, 
Christmas or Easter story or Beatitudes. 

Chords. (Be seated.) 

Hymn of praise. 

Story—Told by superintendent (missionary, 
ethical or good citizenship). 

Prayer—ending usually with Lord’s Prayer in 
unison. 

Prayer response (softly), heads bowed. 

Hymn (appropriate to theme of story). 

Recognition—New pupils, birthdays. 

Offering service. 

10 :00—March to Classes. 
10 :30-10 :45—Closing Period, Bible Drill, Announce- 
ments. 

Juniors are in regular church service for forty 
minutes. A children’s sermon is always preached 
for them, at the close of which they are excused. 
At that time some go directly home. Others who 
must wait for parents (we are a downtown city 
church, and many of our children are not permitted 
to go home alone) return to the Junior room, where 
some adult is in charge, reading to them or playing 
some Bible game. At times some excellent hand- 
work is done at this time, such as articles for mis- 
sionaries or scrapbooks for children in hospitals. 


Programs | 85 





Shreveport, La.—Noel Memorial M. E. 


Theme—‘The Bible—Faith.” 
Quiet Music—*The Rosary,’ by Nevin. The first 
chord a call to order. Last chord, all stand. 
Hymn—“Morning Praise,’ “Hymnal for American 
Youth.” 
Heads bowed, all repeat: 
“Before my words of prayer are said 
I close my eyes and bow my head; 
Pll try to think to whom I pray, 
And try to mean the words I say.” 
Prayer by Superintendent, closing with “prayer re- 
sponse” by Juniors. 
Hymn—‘Sing Them Over Again to Me—Wonderful 
Words.” 
Show of Bibles. 
Bible Salute. 
Memory Verses, or what the Bible teaches us. 
~ Luke 6:31; Prov. 24:29; 2 Tim. 3:16; Eccl. 
9:10; Matt. 5:16; Ps. 25:4; Ps. 100: 3; Acts 
20430. 
Hymn—“The Bible,” “Lamp of Our Feet.” 
Talks by Two Juniors: 
“Our Bible: How It Came to Us.” 
“Our Bible: What It Will Do for Us.” 
(Superintendent aids in seeing that the Juniors 
are properly trained before giving these 
talks. For instance, in the second talk, 
emphasize the thought that the Bible teaches 
us about God, it makes us love Jesus and 
want to do His will. 


86 The Junior and the Church 


Sentence Prayers by Juniors (that we may read 
God’s word day by day, and learn to love 
it more). 

Offering Service—Short prayer that God may bless 
our offering or sing offering song in “Junior 
Hymns and Carols.” 

This was the first program of four used in a 
month on the same subject. At close of this wor- 
ship period, we decided to deny ourselves and bring 
an offering each of these Sundays and to send the 
amount collected to our own missionary in Korea 
to buy Bibles for those in his school who were not 
able to buy them. We sent $18 and had a lovely 
letter of appreciation from Mr. Deol in Korea, 
which, of course, made our Juniors very happy. 

Our aim in department is to have every Junior 
who is promoted to Intermediate department a mem- 
ber of the church, and most of them always are. We 
have special decision services at Easter. 


Long Beach, Calif.—Christian Bible School 


9 :25-9 :30—-Soft music for assembling from proces- 
sional periods in classrooms. 

9 :30—1. Patriotic Opening. 

(1) “The Star-Spangled Banner.” 

(2) Flag Salute. 

(3) “America.” 

(4) Christian Flag Salute. 

(5) “Fling Out the Banner.” 

(6) Prayer. 

(7) Response, “Father, make us loving,” etc. 


Programs 87 





2. Two or Three Spirited Songs. 

3. Birthdays. (Prayer by teachers or pupils and 
their favorite song and birthday button.) 
New pupils. Greeting and welcome pin. 

4. Offering. The representative of each class 
brings basket to front. Each repeats giv- 
ing verse, and marches to secretary’s desk to 
offering song. (I find this saves at least 
half the time needed when taken in class, 
and much of the confusion; also, it is more 
worshipful, as not a sound is heard above soft 
music played’ while basket is passed in class.) 

5. Special. 

(1) Missionary story, or— 

(2) Class stunt (surprise by a class in way of 
dramatized song, solo, chorus, etc., not to 
exceed three minutes). 

(3) This month a splendid reader has created in- 
tense interest in a continued story, always 
stopping at a place where attendance next 
Sunday is necessary. 

(4) If near a special day, we cut time on some- 
thing else and have something appropriate. 

6. Announcements. 

10 :00—Standing chords and march to class. 


Oklahoma City, Okla—Epworth Methodist 


Offering Service. 
All—“Take ye up from among you an offering 
unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing 


heart, let him bring it.” 
7 


88 The Junior and the Church 





Offering brought forward. 

Prayer Hymn: 

“Bless Thou the gifts our hands have brought, 

Bless Thou the work our hearts have planned; 

Ours the will, the faith, the thought, 

The rest, O God, is in Thy hand.” 

Theme for Morning—“Christian Citizenship.” 

Call to Worship—(All). 

“Let justice roll down as waters, and righteous- 
ness as a mighty stream. Righteousness ex- 
alteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any 
people.” | 

Hymn—‘America the Beautiful.” 

Scripture—Deut. 8: 1-10. 

Hymn Prayer—No. 243 (“Hymnal for American 
Youth’). 

Conversation about Christian citizens. 

Short stories of outstanding Christian citizens—Gen- 
eral Foch, Harding, Woodrow Wilson. 

Prayer. , 

Hymn—‘America.” 

Benediction—(All). “Let the words of my mouth 
and the meditation of my heart be acceptable 
in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my 
redeemer.” 

Note.—This was the program for departmental wor- 
ship, Sunday-school hour. It was planned before Mr. 
Wilson became ill, but his illness and death a few hours 
later made the service very impressive. Special occa- 
sions thus may be observed. 


Programs 89 





Oklahoma City, Okla—First Christian 


(Pages refer to “Junior Hymns and Carols’”—Leyda.) 


Quiet music, ending with chord as signal to rise. 
PRAISE SERVICE. 


Opening Sentence, p. 5. 

Prayer. 

Hymn—“Morning Hymn,” p. 9. 

Superintendent—‘Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, 
all ye lands.” 

Pupils—“Serve the Lord with gladness: come before 
his presence with singing.” 

Superintendent—‘‘Know ye that the Lord he is God: 
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; 
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” 

Hymn—“Enter into His Gates,” p. 7. 

All—“His mercy is everlasting; and his truth en- 
dureth to all generations.”—Ps. 100. 


PRAYER SERVICE. 


Superintendent—“The Lord is nigh unto all them 
that call upon him, to all that call upon him 
in truth.”—Ps, 145: 18. 

Pupils—“Be careful in nothing; but in everything by 
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your 
requests be made known unto God.’’—Phil. 4:6. 

Sing—*“Prayer,” p. 8. 

Prayer, or sentence prayers. 

Response, p. 8. 

Communion. (See p. 49.) 


90 The Junior and the Church 


OFFERING SERVICE. 


Superintendent—“Ascribe unto Jehovah the glory due 
unto his name: bring an offering, and come into 
his courts.”—Ps. 96: 8. 

Boys—“Let each man do according as he hath purposed 
in his heart; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for 
God loveth a cheerful giver.’—2 Cor. 9:7. 

Girls—“Freely ye received, freely give.”—Matt. 10:8. 

Hymn—“Why We Give,” p. 15. 

Offering. 

A SuGGESTED MERGER SERVICE. 


(Junior Congregation Program.) 


9 :30—Prelude. 
Call to Worship (change quarterly, such as 117th 
Psalm). 
Opening Hymn (Doxology). 
Lord’s Prayer. 
9:35—Class recitation of last Sunday’s lesson. 
9:55—Written work, directed by superintendent of 
department (classes in one room more for ~ 
assembly work, and one side of room where 
chairs are so arranged). 
10 :25—Class supervised study, next Sunday’s lesson. 
10 :45—Physical exercises—deep breathing. 
10:55—Memory hymns. 
11 :10—Bible-drill work. 
11:25—Communion hymn and communion (adult el- 
ders). 
11:40—Missionary or special story. 
11 :50—Adjournment. 


VIII. 
ADDENDA 
SUGGESTED STORIES 


HE Bible contains the best stories, but sometimes a 

story from other than Bible sources carries valuable 
truth and is intensely interesting. The best of the Bible 
stories have been adapted by good story-writers. We 
suggest the use of stories of both types. Fine examples 
are those to be found in “Rules of the Game,” by Lam- 
bertson: “The Lunch that Was Shared,” ‘“Moc’s Coals 
of Fire,’ “The Hero of Labrador,’ “A Hero of Dis- 
tania oeas, +a ne Man Whor Was True,” “A Cup of 
Cold Water,” “Peter Finds His Courage” and “When 
a Nation Played the Game.” 

Henry Van Dyke’s story, “The Lost Boy,” is ex- 
cellent. 

J. H. Shonkwiler has written and illustrated the 
stories of Joseph, Moses, David and Paul. They are 
admirably adapted to Juniors and are wonderfully 
adapted as gift-books from teacher to class. 

The following is an excellent missionary story of 
the type we have in mind: 


How the Artist Forgot Four Colors 


Once upon a time a very beautiful church was 


being built, and before it was done all the people 
91 


92 The Junior and the Church 





said: “Now the time has come to get the very finest 
artist in the world to make us a wonderful picture 
in glass, for our stained-glass window over the 
choir.” 

So, as grown-up people have a way of doing, they 
left it to a very wise committee to choose the artist 
and the subject of the picture. Because the name of 
the church was to be “The Church of the Christ- 
child,” they wanted the picture to be about little chil- 
dren, so they chose as a subject that lovely hymn 
we sometimes sing in Sunday school: | 


“Around the throne of God in heaven 
Thousands of children stand, 
Children whose sins are all forgiven, 
A holy, happy band, singing: 

Glory! Glory! 

Glory be to God on high!” 


You know how an artist works, don’t you? With a 
great big sheet of white canvas and a queer oval 
thing called a “palette” for his colors, with a hole for 
his thumb—just like the card pictures you have in - 
your hand? Well, our artist painted and painted and 
painted, day after day, until he made what he knew 
was the very best picture he had ever painted, and 
he loved every inch of that canvas: for there was 
Jesus, and all around Him the dearest, loveliest, 
happiest children you can imagine, singing—oh, you 
could almost hear them singing, “Glory! Glory! Glory 
Be to God on High,” as they stood around the Saviour 
with their golden heads thrown back and _ their 
sweet, white throats full of beautiful music! 


Addenda 93 





The artist was perfectly delighted with his work, 
and, as it was all done, he sent word to the wise 
committee to come the next morning to see it, to be 
sure they liked it—before he started the glass win- 
dow picture, you understand? 

Then he went to bed. And he went to sleep, 
still very happy over the finished picture in his 
studio. But in the middle of the night he was quite 
sure he heard a little noise in the studio where his 
Preciouss Dicturestood))..’..he slistened’.).ivayes! 
he knew he heard sounds there! So he got up and 
hurried in, and there he found a Stranger with His 
thumb through the artist’s palette, actually painting 
on the artist’s picture! 

The artist rushed up, crying: “Oh, stop! Stop! 
You are ruining it! You have spoiled it—and alas! alas! 
the committee is coming to-morrow morning.” 

The Stranger turned calmly around, and just as 
calmly. He said: “When I came in the room I saw 
that you had spoiled it yourself, so [ am merely mak- 
ing it right. You had five colors left on your 
palette; why did you use only one color for the faces 
of the little children? Who told you their faces were 
all white in heaven?” 

The artist looked surprised as he tried to think: 
“Why, no one ever told me, Sir, but I always thought 
of it that way!” 

The Stranger smiled kindly: “But, now, of course, 
you see how wrong you were. I have simply used 
these other colors and made some of the faces yellow, 
and some brown and some red and some black, for 


94 The Junior and the Church 





these little ones have come from many lands in answer 
to my call—’ 

“Your call?” asked the artist, puzzled, ‘““What call 
was that, Sir?’ 

The Stranger’s wonderful voice replied in words 
that sounded strangely familiar: “Suffer the little 
children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for 
of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 

Then the artist knew that the Stranger must in- 
deed be the Lord Jesus himself, but, even as he 
knew it, the Stranger was gone, and the artist was 
alone facing his changed picture. And as he looked 
he smiled happily: for there were some dear little 
yellow children with slant-up eyes, and he knew they 
were singing “Glory! Glory! Glory Be to God on 
High” in Chinese! And next to them were quaint 
little brown children with great brown eyes, and 
next to them black children, and next to them dear 
little red children—the happiest, loveliest lot of 
children—and white ones too! 

The artist looked and looked, he was so pleased 
picking out where the children came from. “You 
came from India, you dear little brown fellows with 
turbans, and you cunning brown girls in gay shawls! 
You brown boys with red caps are from Arabia; and 
you little black children—you’re from Africa; while 
you red ones live near me right in America—you’re 
American Indians.” It seemed as if he kept on stand- 
ing there looking and looking, and loving it better 
and better all night long . . . when all of a sudden 
he woke up, to find the morning sun shining in 


Addenda 95 





the window, and there he was: in bed! He simply 
could not understand! 

He rushed into the studio, and there stood his 
picture—and all the little faces were white, just like 
yours! Then he knew he had had a dream, but such 
a beautiful dream he could never forget it again. 

You will remember that the committee were com- 
ing that morning to judge the picture, and oh! how 
he worked trying to make it look exactly the way the 
Stranger had made it look in his dream—and, sure 
enough, one by one quaint little yellow faces with 
slant-up eyes, and little brown faces with great brown 
eyes, and smiling black faces with smiling eyes, began 
to appear, and that picture became just as lovely as 
the dream picture had been. 

Then the wise committee arrived, and they loved it, 
right off! only, of course, they used big, long words 
about it, the way grown-up people do: “Captivating!” 
and “Entrancing!” “Fascinating!” “Such marvelous 
characterization!” And oh, dear me! a great many 
other equally big words, but one sweet, quiet lady, 
the mother of lively little boys and girls just like you, 
said, with a happy sigh: “Why, it’s God’s family at 
home with Him, isn’t it? I love it!” 

And I think God’s family will always mean all 
those five colors to you and me, will it not? In 
Christ’s kingdom there is neither race nor color, but 
all are meant to be one in Him. 

—Reprinted from “Missionary Stories for Little 
Folks,’ Primary, by Margaret A. Applegarth, by per- 
mission of the publishers, George H. Doran. Company. 


96 The Junior and the Church 


THE JUNIORS’ REACTIONS 


The foregoing programs were used at the Univer- 
sity Place Christian Church. The co-operation of 
the Junior superintendent and teachers had been 
solicited and secured. The Juniors themselves had 
been told several months in advance that some such 
program was being contemplated, and were ready 
to enter heartily into the plan from the first Sunday of 
its inception. 

There are in the Junior department six classes 
in which are enrolled forty-eight pupils. On the day 
we began our experiment there were twenty-four 
present at Bible school, only three of whom did not 
remain for the preaching service. These three had 
not known, before leaving home, of our plans for the 
day, hence had not arranged to attend the service. 

During the nine weeks following this program, in 
spite of two snowstorms, an epidemic of measles and 
three rainy Sundays, the attendance of Juniors at 
Bible school was twenty-one, and 90 per cent. of 
those present at Bible school remained for the preach- 
ing service. 

On the first Sunday one of the Junior boys, 
who for some time had been considering the question 
of becoming a Christian, reached his decision and 
made the confession at the close of the service. Three 
others came into the church soon after this special 
effort to establish the church-going habit was begun. 

As to the records, it is safe to venture that they 
have been kept with as fair a degree of accuracy as 


Addenda 97 





would have been done by the average adult members 
of the congregation. Especially is this true of the 
third-year (sixth grade) pupils, several of whom 
give quite complete information in each desired in- 
stance. It must be remembered that, as a permanent 
plan, the note-books are not recommended, neither is 
the reservation of seats nor the special song, it being 
considered better to teach Juniors to sit among the 
adults and to participate in the services just as the 
older ones do. But, for our purpose, the note-books 
have served admirably to bring out the fact that 
Juniors do get a great deal more from the services 
than we have been giving them credit for. Some 
typical quotations will illustrate this fact. 

“T liked the story to-day because it teaches us to 
share what we have, even if we have only a little.” 

“The story [“The Lunch that Was Shared” 
teaches us to give to Jesus whatever we have.” 

“The story of the little Indian boy teaches us 
to be kind to our enemies and do them good.” 

“TI like the story of the missionary doctor because 
he preached Jesus and healed the sick.” 

“TI liked the prayer best to-day.” 

“T liked the communion service because it is the 
most sacred part of the worship.” 

“I liked the Junior hymn, because we had prac- 
ticed it and all the Juniors sang.” 

“I liked the sermon best because I joined the 
church to-day.” 

Some thoughts the Juniors got from the sermon 
are as follows: 


98 The Junior and the Church 


“The text was “Thy word have I laid up in my 
heart.’ ” 

“The robbers took the man’s gold, his coat, every- 
thing but his Bible.” 

“Let us grow nearer and closer to the Lord.” 

“Take Jesus Christ for your helper.” 

“The twenty-third Psalm is like a nightingale 
because it sings sweetest at night.” 

“Let us bring every thought into captivity to 
Christ.” 

“There are lands that need the Bible. Who. will 
take it to them?” 

These, and similar statements, together with the 
whole attitude of our Juniors toward the church, have 
convinced us that the plan is eminently worth while. 
The Juniors themselves are quite enthusiastic. We feel 
that we have passed the experimental stage, and are 
launched on the way toward fixing in our Juniors the 
church-attendance habit. 


A QUESTIONNAIRE 


On the Relation of the Junior Child (ages 9-11) 
to the Church 


. How many Juniors in your Sunday school? 
2. Do you have separate departmental worship? 
. Give on reverse side of questionnaire a sample wor- 
ship program. 
. How many Juniors are church-members? 
. How many Juniors regularly attend the morning 
church service? 
. What recognition is given for church attendance? 
(Answer in detail, please.) 
. What is done with Juniors during the preaching 
hour? (Please check the plan you use.) 
(1) No special provision made for them. 
(2) Special provision made for them in the morn- 
ing church service. | 
(3) Any other special provision—what? 
(4) Separate Junior congregation. 
a. Where does it meet? 
b. What ages are included? 
c. Any kind of graduation to Senior church? 
d. What per cent. of those graduated attend 


the church services regularly? 
99 


100 The Junior and the Church 





e. Do you consider your plan entirely satisfac- 
tory? 
f. What, if any, are its defects? 
8. Please give on reverse side of this questionnaire a 
sample program for (2), (3) or (4). 
9. Sign your name and official position in church and 
school. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Fundamentals of Child Study,” Kirkpatrick. 

“The Pupil and the Teacher,’ Weigle. 

“The Training of Children in the Christian Fam- 
ily,” Weigle. 

“How to Teach Religion,” Betts. 

“The New Program of Religious Education,” 
Betts. 

“Christian Nurture,” Bushnell. 

“The Church School,’ Athearn. 

“The Child and America’s Future,” Stowell. 

“How Children Learn,” Freeman. 

“The Dawn of Religion in the Mind of the Child,” 
Mumford. 

“The Dawn of Character,” Mumford. 

“The New Junior Worker’s Manual,” Anderson. 

“The Junior Worker and Work,” Baldwin. 

“Junior Department Organization,” Koontz. 

“A Study of the Junior Child,” Whitley. 

“Junior Method in the Church School,” Powell. 

“After the Primary, What?’ McKinney. 

“The Child and His Religion,’ Dawson. 

“The Religious Consciousness,” Pratt. 

“Childhood and Character,” Hartshorne. 

“The Unfolding Life,’ Lamoreaux. 


“Education in Religion and Morals,” Coe. 
101 


102 The Junior and the Church 





“That Boy Plus His Father,” Millard. 

“Every-day Lessons in Religion,” Baker. 

“God the Loving Father,” Brown. 

“Child Religion in Song and Story,’ Chamberlain 
and Kern. 

“A Junior Congregation,” Farrar. 

“Jesus, the Light of the World,” Trout. 

“The Boy and the Church,” Foster. 

“The Church and Her Children,’ Hulbert. 

“A Survey of Religious Education in the Local 
Church,” Bower. 

“The Educational Task of the Local Church,” 
Bower. 

“Jesus the Master Teacher,” Horne. 

“Life and Times of Jesus,’ Edersheim. 

“History of Education,” Graves. 

“History of Education,’ Monroe. 

“History of Religious Education in Modern 
Times,” Browne. 

“The International Lesson System, 

“Church History,” Fisher. 

“Vale Lectures on the Sunday School,’ Trumbull. 

“Worship in Non-liturgical Churches,’ Hoyt. 

“What Men Live By,’ Cabot. 

“Junior Congregation,” Nelson’s Cyclopedia. 

“Children’s Church,’ Nelson’s Cyclopedia. 

“Children’s Communion,” Nelson’s Cyclopedia. 


399 


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